Lost souls.

[Zaedus]

Zaedus brought back his left foot, standing at an angle with his back slightly to Kiko.

"Shall we stay close, or spread ourselves out?"

He said in a louder tone, being the incessant moaning was growing stronger and louder. He readied his blade holding it tip forward the cross guard near his face ready to strike upon Kiko's reply.

[Grayell]

The undead were not at all bothered by Kiko's flashy weapon, in fact they didn't seem to even register the show of arms in warning.

No, what they actually did was quite the opposite of the desired effect. They closed on the pair, or at least a small handful did; and with those ragged hands still outstretched, with those hollow sockets still staring into Oblivion, they advanced on the pair.

They did not alter their course mind you. It seemed that the other undead paid them no heed and instead kept shuffling onward. Those that were impaired by the adventurer's standing in their way seemed to be their primary concern, being that they seemed quite intent on attacking now. Attacking, or just getting dangerously close and looking terribly hungry.

[Kiko]

"Spread out!"

Kiko spun on her back foot. She hit the outer edge of the group advancing toward them. Her katana sliced low at the legs and kept moving upward toward the body, arms, and neck.

While the monsters were not deterred by the flaming tanto, at least it gave her a little bit more light to see. Though, after the first glance she wasn't sure if that helped or hindered. These things had the same dead eyes as the headless horseman; a creature her and the Wolf had face once upon a time. Hopefully they would be easier to kill.

[Zaedus]

Zaedus nodded his head in agreement and went opposite of Kiko, flanking the group with outstretched hands at him and her. He sighed, sounding a bit relieved when Kiko's tanto caught ablaze. Fire, and silver. He had known weres and certain undead had an aversion to the metal. Without hesitation he waded in, slashing horizontally then vertically in effort to dispatch a few of them

[Grayell]

These undead were in fact much easier to kill. Both Kiko's and Zaedus' weaponry sliced through their ethereal forms with little more resistance than mist, each fatal blow causing it's victim to tear and dissipate into a howling, horrid nothingness that died away soon after.

There seemed to be little challenge in killing such wretches but they certainly garnered the attention of far more of their number now - and splitting up saw them both surrounded by sheer numbers. Easy to kill or not, their strength may well lay in the sheer mass of tortured souls they now seem further agitated...

(Your turn to do what you do best. Have at it and continue, two posts each. Because I know your teamwork is spectacular, so have fun! There are PLENTY to go around!)

[Zaedus]

He was relieved to see the spirits fading to nothing with each swing trying to keep himself out of reach for he knew not what they would do upon contact. He side stepped left, and brought up his blade with his left hand in a left arcing diagonal swing. two in front of him dissipated into nothingness.

Cold
Numb

Zaedus felt his left arm drop, his blade crashing to the ground with a thud. A ghostly hand had brushed him from behind. He lurched in a forward roll scooping up his sword in his right hand, his left still numb from the pass. He stepped back a few paces shaking the chill and ache from his arm.

"Their touch is dangerous it would be in your best interest to avoid such caress from them."

He called out to Kiko as another three vaporized from view, tendrils of ethereal vapors trailing from his silver blade, a soft hiss audible.

[Kiko]

Kiko was expecting a fight or resistance. In her experience, survival was paramount. She had seen terrible things in her time, too. Shapechangers, demons, creatures with the legs of a monstrous spider and the body of a man, ensorcelled humans in vast numbers; but, all of them - without fail - tenaciously fought for life, until it ended.

These things that howled with such horrendous agony were like nightmares at dawn; insubstantial and destroyed by the simple act of waking. They carried no more impact on her weapons than phantom shapes in the morning mist. She was through the first line of them in seconds, her feet climbing up one of the willowy ash trees that lined the group on either side.

The resulting push and leap dropped her back into the center of them. Here, where she was surrounded she could not be in Zaedus' way. The higher position taken while briefly climbing the tree had given her a quick glimpse of the Worgen and the blade that was moving like molten silver through the enemy. And as good as it felt to see Zae's massive form cleaving wide swathes through the terrible things, there was a frighteningly huge amount of bodies between them.

Kiko stopped thinking and started killing.

The moaning horde of creatures were pushing closer, bodies trampled over without hesitation. If one went down there was another right behind it and the noise was deafening. She shut it out of her head. Kiko did not need sound to help her find her quarry; they were everywhere. That was when she realized the true horror: they did not need to fight. All they had to do was knock her down.

She did not see Zae stumble or lose his sword. She certainly heard his voice, but by then it was probably way too late.

[Zaedus]

Upon his thought he turned back after more had yet disintegrated from another right hand pass, the cold in his arm slowly fading.

"it was enough"

He thought. He gripped his sword with both hands feeling the tension in his arm release further with the stretch as he swept that silver blade wide. He had wondered if the ones dispatched would again reform at a later time, for a scourge as these thing were could not be as simple to dispatch as the morning fog was to the sun. He shook the thought from his had and headed for Kiko.

Left, right, diagonal, came his slashes as he barreled through. He could see the light of her weapon flaring and dancing as he approached. He bent low, and leapt into the air, the tip of his blade nearly touching his tail. In a swift motion he brought the sword down, he himself was impressed as it looked to be a gleaming beam of light as it caught and reflected the fire of Kiko's tanto.

Three more that faded away as the blade hit the ground, a swath of dust and debris splashing from the sides of the impact. He stood and turned his back to Kiko. Though not side by side he was in a close enough distance to aid if need be. He swung the blade outward continuing the fight.

[Kiko]

Kiko kept on her toes. It was what she was good at; footwork. Her small stature and nimble motion had kept her alive years ago during an attack from pack of treacherous werewolves trying to destroy Grayell. Zaedus had fought beside her then, too. It was a rocket of a thought that shot across her brain while the streaking tail of her tanto sliced through the next three bodies in front of her.

There was a hiss breaking free of her lips, too. A sound of pain that Kiko gave when the dissipating bodies separated and allowed the ones behind them a way past her. The line of monsters went for the hole unerringly and with too many bodies to fit through the small space. A collision of flesh, bone and a smell so rank her stomach heaved. She spun on one foot, the katana yanked around to destroy these as well.

But, it had cost her. The relentless strike of her blades was lost. She was no longer trying to kill them she was trying to survive. She could feel the wolf rampaging through her head and demanding to be set free. Kiko gave an ugly snarl and willed more energy into her arms and legs.

She had lost track of Zae, but the mere thought of him suddenly brought him into focus at the edge of her vision. He was alive. They were both alive. A flash of amazement went off in her head; amazement that the creatures were still moving, amazement that nothing else seemed alive, and amazement that the Wolf had not come charging into the fray.

Then something happened to her that had not in years; Kiko stumbled.

[Grayell]

They'd discovered the truly dread touch of their enemy and the sheer danger they presented through numbers alone, but when Kiko stumbled and Zaedus came about, both had to take note of something. Whilst the undead in their immediate vicinity posed a threat, those outside that immediate area of recognition seemed entirely unbothered and carried on their way, filing through the wilderness and on toward whatever pulled them.

They were easy to kill but Kiko and Zae were of flesh and bone and knew what it was to be weary, how their muscles could burn up and betray them, how tiny mistakes or late reactions could multiply and mean an untimely end. Perhaps a different tactic were called for, or they could hope to whether the storm and continue hacking and slashing at the ever-onward-marching wall of undead souls.

[Kiko]

Kiko sucked in a breath. She regained her footing, and luckily the rank smell of the monsters around them was not so prominent. Still, she had to force the contents of her stomach back down to where they belonged. She gave a another fleeting glance toward Zaedus while hacking her way past the next several bodies.

Was there anyone controlling these mindless things? Or had foul magic called up the dead from beneath their feet to swarm? Was it possible that, even now and farther back than she could see, a dark priest or a summoner of demons stood and called this column of corpses from the earth?

She had no way of knowing and they could not stand here forever. Even now new groups were moving past them without hesitation.

"Zae! We can't stop them!"

Stupid Kiko. He knows that just as well as you do. But, she was out of ideas. Kiko had a quick wish for Kiga's wind magic, too. He could have blown these monstrosities about like the seeds of a dandelion.

[Zaedus]

He lowered his blade panting.

"No, and those who were not entwined by battle are yet marching."

He ran to Kiko, slashing whatever forms intruded upon his path to her. He turned towards Wistvale.

"I dare not think what may happen when they shamble in the midst of our home.."

When he said that memories of the past flashed in his head, a sense of odd relief washed over him when he said that...Home... He dismissed the thought quickly and turned his gaze back to Kiko.

"We either defend Wistvale, or find the source of this and end it. We cannot hope to do battle 'till time's end."

[Kiko]

The wolf was howling for the offensive choice, defense, she knew, was for the homebound, the weak, and pups. The human in her; the one that had grown to love Wistvale and the quiet splendor of her and Grayell's treehouse, jerked her head around.

It was a horrible choice. All of her instincts told her to find the root. To tear it from the earth until this taint no longer infected the land. But her brain; the thing that made her human, said they were overwhelmed and that Wistvale soon would be without help.

Zaedus was a great warrior. If Kiko could have anyone beside her in such a battle, minus the Wolf, it would be him. But, he would tire eventually. Her knee quivered; reminding her of the earlier mistake and hot breath blew from her mouth and nose.

Her eyes went back toward the stream of death. For all they knew there were other such streams headed toward their home.

"Wistvale, Zae."

Kiko hoped, even as she said it, that it was the right choice.

[Zaedus]

Many questions filled his head, most of them not his.

Why run? Why not fight? Why be a coward and not face the enemy?

He read into the meaning of those questions and knew that to fight, meant to die. To die was to forsake everything he had grown to know and care for in his time here. Then the heart beats. Soft at first, the rapid is if the cadence of drummers had suddenly been broken. His hand swiftly reached for his chest, the scar glowing yet again. He winced and hurled his blade in a wide arc sending hissing mist it it's wake. He followed with a leap coming down to the ground on a knee, a soft click from his greatsword locking its sling on his back. He blinked away the frustration and rage and looked to Kiko, his eyes alive with an inner fire.

"Aye, to Wistvale.."

His voice deepened slightly, or rather another piped in, seemingly in tandem as he spoke.


"The enemy shall regret this day."

The slight change would have been off for those who did not know him well. But for those who knew him also knew what he battled. Though nothing happened physically for the Worgen, that dark essence seemed to be with him, instead of against him as it had before. He nodded his head and took off running.

"Do remind me, because my memory is terrible, to make sure I tell of my travels, they are quite exciting."

He said with a snicker. His quirky humor from the past resurfacing in spite of the current happenings.

[Kiko]

Kiko gave Zaedus a look with one eyebrow higher than the other at those last few words. She was aware of his odd sense of humor. Hell, the big Worgen had come crashing into camp on their trip North one night with a dead elk over his shoulder. His expression when dropping it to the ground between her and Grayell had been impossible to decipher.

Of course, she had done her best not to look directly at him, too. She had been battling personal demons that he, by his very features, gave credence to. But, by the end of their journey she had come to terms with her past and Zaedus was counted as a friend. After that, understanding his jokes and reading the tone of his voice was easier.

Kiko took off after the man, her feet silent on the earth. Zae had disappeared for a long time. Had something terrible happened to him? In this part of the world terrible was always right around the corner. Plus, while that first comment about the enemy was pure Zaedus, the last little snicker was simultaneously strange, yet, oh so familiar.

Yes. She would definite ask what had happened.