Not all Who Wander are Lost

[mysterious]

A sigh passed from Mysterious's lips as Togema asked to be lead to them. His promise was noble but it was pointless all the same. Just as going head on to meet these perusers.

"Well I at least hope you are ready for this." Was all she had to say not even taking hold of her weapon just yet as she took off in the direction the others had gone in. They would no doubt reach the small encampment before them. Mysterious only hoped they were not the people she thought they were.

Glancing one last time upward as the sun was covered completely by the darkness of the night.

~~~~~~

The small encampment had been a small group of travelers. Making their way bravely through the forest. Having set up camp for the night they had stayed clear of the outpost. to many stories about the place for even them to venture there.

Ten well built warrior like men sat around a fire ready to settle with the falling night. And like a black wave screams tired to call out but were reduced to muffles. It was quick yet not quick enough their death. The strong men reduced to corpses in a matter of seconds.

The emotionless vampires stood around looking at their fallen pray. About twenty at close guess. the one that would be leader nodded and half the group split heading into the woods toward the outpost. The rest remained to feed on their pray for the night.

[BlackAngelYume]

Rajnish came to a stop once more, his tail flicking anxiously, “Jayda dismount and get into the forest…”

Jayda frowned and leaned over to whisper in Rajnish’s ear, “What is it?”

“They’re coming, we’ll try to catch them as off guard as we can… you’ll need to use your natural born elven abilities.”

Jayda nodded and slid off the back of the unicorn, retreating into the forest. With night fallen, Rajnish was barely visible in the forest, the stars along his back normally shone like the stars in the night sky (and much like his more pristine unicorn brethren). With a little concentration, the stars dimmed, as did the unnatural shine of his horn. This made him nearly invisible to the naked eye. He knew it wouldn’t do much to help when dealing with whatever type of undead was coming this way, but it didn’t hurt.

Jayda had climbed one of the trees, and lay on a thick branch. She looked to the way they came; hoping the guy that was following her knew what he was doing. She watched as Rajnish backed into a patch of densely grown foliage.

The two stayed very still and soon they heard something coming. Jayda peered through the trees trying to see what it was exactly. She shook her head… it reeked of blood.

“Oh dammit,” she heard Rajnish say to her, “A vampire, I was afraid of that… and he’s not the only one, it seems like there’s some all through the forest, and still some ahead. You ready for this Jayda?”

She couldn’t really answer him, and she knew he wouldn’t be able to see her nod her head ever so slightly. She finally saw the man Rajnish labeled as a vampire and watched him, her eyes never leaving him, waiting for the perfect opportunity to… aw crap. He stopped under the tree she was in and looked directly up. She wasn’t sure if he could see her, but it sure as hell looked that way and she didn’t like the way he was smiling either.

Luckily for her he didn’t notice Rajnish until right before one of the unicorn’s large hooves struck the man’s face, sending him flying a few feet and giving Jayda enough time to slide off the tree branch and land gracefully on the ground, rapier drawn.

“Thank the Mother Goddess for that spell… he’d have sensed me from half a mile away had I not cast it.”

“Yeah, I’m happy for it as well,” Jayda replied, watching as the vampire stood to face them, half of his face horribly smashed by Rajnish’s hoof. What was left of the man’s face was curled into the same malicious grin he’d been smiling when he looked up at Jayda before. She frowned in response, her rapier before her in a battle stance and Rajnish standing next to her, horn lowered.

[The_Unknown_Usual]

Dustyn ran ahead trying his best to follow his companion, but soon lost her in the darkness. He looked ahead, searching, but to no avail. All there was was forest and town.

"Maybe in there..."

Dustyn ran ahead, moonlight glinting off his armor. He could see a few figures in the distance, though he couldn't tell who or what they were from this distance. He walked forward cautiously. He now knew. They were vampires. As soon as he saw them, they saw him. They scattered, disappearing into the shadow.

"... Damn it... Where... Hm..."

He drew his blade, getting slight ideas of where some were. He judged perhaps seven headed his way. The odds were not stacked in his favor, he knew, but he luckily knew a basic fireball spell that could take out one or two before they reached him. They drew closer. It was time.

Dustyn whispered some words into the wind, his hand starting to glow a orange-red. Some of the vampires knew and disappeared from his view, yet only one seemed not to notice. He cast the spell at this lone vampire, quickly turning him to ash. Only six to go. But where were they...?

Dustyn searched around him. The air was quiet. That normally meant it would be easier to find his foes, but this was not the case. They were no where to be found. Suddenly he felt something behind him. Dustyn quickly dodged to the left with a simple move of his body as a dagger rushed past his face, drawing some blood but not doing any serious damage. Dustyn quickly swept out his would be assailant's feet, sending him to the dirt. With a quick stab through the heart, another turned to ash. Dustyn felt the blood running down his face, and sensed three converging on him at once.

An arrow came whistling at him, but luckily he noticed and was able to knock it out of the air with his blade. Suddenly a sharp pain went throungh Dustyn's shoulder. Someone had snuck up on him. Dustyn quickly whirled and sliced the vampire's throat open, dagger still embedded in him. He then turned and sliced behind him, taking out another. Another arrow came at him and nicked his armor. Dustyn swiftly used another fireball spell and eliminated the vampiric archer. Three more gone. Three to go. He would have to end this soon, his wounds were getting to him. He felt slightly dizzy... Dustyn shook it off, then looked around.

Two of the remaining three had fled, and only one remained. A vampire clad in heavy armor, seeming to not care for his bretheren's stealth tactics. The last one drew a claymore the size of a large child, made from black and red metals. He then rushed at Dustyn, swinging horizontally at his waist. Dustyn quickly dodged by jumping back, then performed a counter-attack of his own. The vampire turned quite nimbly and punched Dustyn across the back of the head. Dustyn stumbled in pain, but refused to give in. He cast a fireball spell, but the vampire dodged and ran in to attack. He seemed to be making his finishing move on Dustyn. Dustyn quickly dodged the blow, soon after stabbing his blade into the vampire's stomach. It fell back, still not dead. It ran in to attack once more, wounded though he was. He swung, but Dustyn dodged it again and slit his throat, then stabbing its heart. The vampire fell backwards into ash like the rest of them.

His part was done, Dustyn decided. He couldn't help anymore anyways. If they wanted him, he was sure they'd find him... And so with that, Dustyn collapsed into the plains unconscious.

[Togema]

Togema was just in time to watch as Dustyn struck down his last foe and collapsed. Togema rushed to him, checked for a pulse and breath, and once satisfied, chased after the remaining two undead.

Perhaps it was Dustyn's fall or just Togema's own small frame, but tonight's enemy seemed to be unafraid of Togema. Unaware of his enemy's position, Togema was brought down by his shoulders from behind. He rolled for a short distance until his enemy land on top of him and struck him with a fist in his face. The strike sent a small shock through Togema, though he was used to that sort of pain. A quick flash of an enflamed sword warded away his assailant, unscathed.

Togema stood, a bit shocked by the attack and knowing that his enemy was uninjued and likely back to moving among the treetops. He'd ran from Mysterious once she gave him that last warning, and now he wondered where she was. And where the other vampire was.

Just as he'd expected - within seconds he was attacked from above, but this time he was stationary and ready, he turned and whipped his blade through the air, a trail of fire following it through the chest of his attacker. It landed on the ground, still alive and awake despite it's fresh wound, and it bounced away from Togema. It didn't get far, however, the wound was deep and mortal. Togema ran up on it and ran his blade through it's back.

As the undead turned to ash, Togema was struck from behind - something he had not expected while he was focused on the current opponent. A short blade was run across his back, cutting though his shirt and deep into his skin. Togema fell forward, into the ashes of the remains of his former foe and turned to face a new one. Towering above Togema's fallen form, it was already preparing another final lunge. Togema rolled and avoided it, but his back was racked with pain when he did so. He could barely move - what luck. Again, the vampire thrust at Togema, and Togema warded it away when their blades struck each other in a show of sparks and flame. Togema knew he was at a disadvantage as their weapons rested on each other. He could barely move, his arms were weak, and he was tied to the ground. As his eyes met the eyes of this vampire beyond the cross of their blades, Togema wondered where the others were, and if they had survived and were unharmed.

[BlackAngelYume]

The two were close enough to where Dustyn and Togema had fought to hear their own struggle. Best that Jayda could figure, they’d gotten the bulk of the force, where Rajnish and herself had gotten one of the flanks.

“That doesn’t sound too good…”

“Yeah, I realized… let’s take care of this guy and go try to help the-!” she didn’t finish her thought due to the vampire attacking right at that moment. Rajnish stepped back a bit, startled and Jayda barely managed to block with her rapier as the vampire brought a short sword down on her.

Once he’d realized what was happening, Rajnish whinnied and reared, bringing his front hooves down on the vampire. Or at least where the vampire was, he’d dodged the unicorn’s hooves and disappeared up into the trees.

“Damn him,” Rajnish snorted.

“Don’t worry, I know where he is… get a spell ready, Rajnish.”

Rajnish replied by doing the horse’s equivalent of nodding. Jayda was half elf and that elven half were wood elves, tracking something in a forest was easy for her, although she was having problems keeping an eye on this guy. She was fine when he was stationary; it was when he moved she had problems.

It was during one of these stationary moments that Jayda pointed to the tree the vampire was in and shouted, “There!”

A bolt of lighting shot from Rajnish’s horn, striking the vampire and sending him falling to the ground, where Jayda ran him through the heart with her rapier, as he turned to ash she looked to Rajnish.

“That would have no doubt alerted any remaining vampires to our presence,” Rajnish said.

Jayda frowned, “Well, let’s go to the others, if they’re still alive we’ll be best off fighting together.”

Jayda turned and ran into the wood, following the sound of the battle ahead of her. A few times she had to stop and listen to regain her bearings, but it wasn’t long before she could see the vampire towering over Togema. She swore under her breath and ran at the two.

Rajnish, however, was much faster. He’d put the same cloaking spell on he’d had earlier and charged the vampire, hitting him hard with his flank and disengaging him from Togema.

Jayda charged the stunned vampire and went to thrust her blade into his chest, but he blocked. She flipped backward from him as he stood. The vampire was fast, but he wasn’t nearly as nimble as Jayda was. He came at her and she dodged several of his thrusts. He hit her a few times, across her cheek and arms, leaving shallow, but still bleeding wounds. He made a serious mistake when he’d made the horizontal slash, however. Jayda ducked under it and brought her rapier up into his chest, planting the thin blade through one of his ribs and into his heart.

The vampire turned to dust and Jayda went over to Togema looking down at him, “Are you alright? Where’s the guy that was following….” Her thought trailed as she saw Dustyn, “Shit… we gotta get out of here… if you didn’t hear before, Rajnish managed to alert the rest of them.”

Rajnish snorted, “Put the unconscious human on my back. Demon, can you move on your own?”

Jayda frowned and looked at Togema. Did Rajnish just call him a demon? She shook her head; it didn’t matter. She went over to Dustyn and tried to lift him, and found the most she could do was half carry, half drag him over to Rajnish.

“I’m going to need some help getting him up onto Rajnish’s back…”

[mysterious]

Jayda was right the attack had altered the others to just where the group was now. Watching as the wounded warriors tried to make an effort from escape, they were already surrounded.A good many still left all of them sent for just one person.

Mysterious who had been watching from afar. She was never one to rush into something she could get out of. If these people were able to defeat all of them there would be no need to make herself known. Saving herself was being found yet again. Watching from a tree the vampires had yet to discover her but they had found the others.

Glancing from side to side she noticed they were boxed in. The inner conflict she so often faced was growing within her. Part of her was yelling to leave. She hardly knew these people so why risk it for them. The more human side was forcing her forward into battle.

In the end the human side won just like it always did. Jumping into the small clearing the others were in she was a good few feet away with her back to them.

"Jayda hurry up and get them out of here." Mysterious said with a low voice. Her cloak around her shoulders and her stance not even suggesting she was ready to defend.

The number of eyes glowing from the brush around them. The hungry eyes of the attackers not focused on the others any longer, but glued to Mysterious. This had brought the vampires out without fear. They were showing themselves openly as Mysterious stood there.

The woods seemed to become even more silent. The wind even seemed to stop for a moment as the remaining group stood around them. Eyes fixed on Mysterious now.

The moment seemed froze in time before the one that could only be thought of as the leader gave out a cry. All of them rushing her at once. The first blade coming down only to be met with her scythe blade. The next coming from behind though Mysterious's foot was quick to knock him back.

The next three were lucky striking her cheek just slightly before her elbow managed to strike his face, and the other two cutting her sides deeply. Despite the injuries she didn't cry out or lose her focus.

The ones knocked to the ground were already on her again and their movements were becoming faster. The battle more like a blur at this point. Managing to break from the group Mysterious jumped back and landed a few feet away. Her scythe in hand took on a short glow then formed into two smaller versions of her much larger one.

Waiting once again for them to attack first the vampires rushed her again. As expected this time the battle was much shorter. The first was down in a second. The body quickly forming to ash as her twin scythe's cut through another. Taking out nearly all of them but having lost track of the leader. The last one turning to ash before and out of the ash the blade came.

Running through her shoulder the vampire had carried her back with Mysterious pinned on his blade. Slamming her against a tree and the sword driving into the wood. Letting out a scream Mysterious clasped her hands over the blade looking at the vampire with a cold glare only to have him respond by twisting the blade in her body.

Weapons on the ground a few feet away Mysterious's body filled with pain the sword not only struck her shoulder but was partly in her wing as well. Causing more and more pain each time she took even a breathe.

[Togema]

Togema stood slowly once the weight of the vampire was off of him. His wound was deep and almost crippling. Now wasn't the time to worry about Rajnish's way of addressing him. Hearing Jayda, but not verbally responding, he lifted up the opposite end of Dustyn despite his wound. He cringed at the burn of his wound - it ran across the back of his shoulders, the most important muscle in lifting. Once Dustyn was on Rajnish's back, Togema collapsed to a kneel, panting heavily. His back was soaked with his own blood.

Mysterious was back without warning, Togema had not noticed her entrance. He looked up and saw her there, a blurring figure standing not far away, facing the opposite direction. She told them to leave, and soon spots of light appeared from every direction and in a confusing blur of motion, they were upon her. More of a confusing blur met Togema's unfocusable eyes, and in a second Mysterious was alone with one enemy left, his blade ran through her and pinned her to the tree.

No, that wasn't happening. She had just risked her life for him and the other three. That and this was happening on his watch. The moment Mysterious was run through, Togema began to stand up. He swayed with the motion as his body felt weak. A step forward as the vampire twisted his blade, Togema couldn't hear anything. His own blade lay in the grass near Rajnish, a smoldering pile of grass and leaf beneath it. Unarmed, Togema shouted as he lunged the vampire holding Mysterious, striking it at it's side.

((EDIT: Miscount: a party of 3, actually a party of 4))

[BlackAngelYume]

Jayda frowned when she looked at Togema’s injury, “Rajnish, I don’t think he’ll be able to make it back to the Outpost on his own…”

He snorted, “Fine, but if he can’t sit up then he’ll have to be piled on top of the other one.”

Jayda half watched Mysterious as she lifted Dustyn onto Rajnish’s back. She couldn’t help but feel awe at the sheer ability Mysterious had. She had just made sure Dustyn was secure on Rajnish’s back when she heard Mysterious’s scream. She looked and yelped herself when she saw the blade through her shoulder.

She drew her sword and was about to go after the vampire when Togema launched himself at the attacker.

“No, you idiot!” Rajnish shouted; making sure everyone heard him.

“Dammit!” Jayda said rushing the vampire, sword drawn, trying to use Togema’s attack as a distraction for her own.

[mysterious]

The vampire was taken back by both of the attacks. Being torn from Mysterious who gasped as the blade twisted again. More because of the quick way her attacker was pulled back. The blade still embedded deadly in the tree and her body just stuck there.

Glancing at the others she flinched as her hands relaxed from the blade now. The blood covering her hands as she took a deep breathe. Gasping the blade firmly again she ripped from her body as she slide down the tree with a slight cry of pain. Her wing fell from under her cloak laying limply at her side.

Her head raising as the others attacked the last vampire. The red glare of her eyes looking like something you would see in a nightmare through the long strains of black hair.

Her body not completely able to but she stood quickly and took over the attacking. Rushing between Togema and Jayda she took the vampire by his throat in a quick flash of movement. Just about a foot away from the others as the vampire was engulfed in a flash of black hot flames. Making the death painful.

Once he had turned to ash the flames were gone it didn't take but a second as she dropped her hand breathing heavy. Her shoulder was aching and her wing was still limp at her side.

Glancing over her shoulder at Togema she spoke, "So how about that room now?" She asked with a straight face even though it was meant to lighten the mood.

[Togema]

Togema stood where the final vampire was taken from him, breathing heavily. He'd gotten used to the burning sensation on his back, though he was hunched over to a great degree while he stood. "Yeah, room." Togema looked at the group, and at himself. "Let's rest first," he said, falling to sit on the ground. He ran throught the motions he once knew as a general. There was a lot he needed to know. But, first things first.

"I need an injury assessment on everyone. Can everyone move alright, any immediate danger from wounds? What about that guy?" he asked pointing to Dustyn as he stood to do the inspection himself. There was a small wound on his face, a knife of some sort embedded deeply into his shoulder, and a few nicks and whatnot in other areas, as well as some marks from pure blunt force in others. He'd fought the good fight, and was still alive. Good.

Togema was still panting as he looked over the fine details of the man's body, quickly able to determine that some good care would have the man recover quickly. It seemed that Rajnish was unscathed, Togema noticed as he was inspecting Dustyn. Good. He knew that Jayda had been involved in some battle, but not the extent of her injuries. He did know that Mysterious and himself had perhaps the most grievous of wounds, on par with Dustyn's.

Togema ran his deeply tanned and ashened hand along Rajnish's side as he turned. "I owe you," he said mostly to Rajnish, but to the others as well as he awaited answers from Mysterious and Jayda.