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Devestation of the Damned {GRP}; {P, Emery}
Topic Started: Sun Dec 4, 2011 9:16 am (985 Views)
Val
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The sky was dark and without even the slightest twinkle of light in this accursed place, dark clouds that poured with icy rain and hail showered the land of the Ancient City, the monument to clear failure in the face of the enemy. One could practically smell the stench of death that drifted through the air, the depressing aura of the risen corpses which should have stayed buried corrupting everything around them. Even the heavily armored paladins which fought against the undead hordes believed that they could still smell the stench through their enchanted helms. And those were the guardians who stayed at the edges of the city, holding the dead in their place, shattering their bones and making sure they would no longer be a threat.

Few paladins dared go into the heart of the mess, where the soulless constructs of necrotic evil walked with their weapons in hand and their thirst for flesh the only thought within their minds. One of those foolish paladins who rushed into the heart of the swarm was a veteran by the name of Krieger Bach, who had only recently had the pleasure of being reacquainted with his oldest and most favored of weapons, a great maul that had been forged to combat evil in all of its forms, and this was of no exception.

The Lucius Arbiter pulsed in these decrepit ruins, aching for the rotted flesh of the undead, yet it held its time, awaiting for Kireger's swing, though anxiously. It could not act without his will. And his mind overrode ihs own urges to simply lash out at these mindless creatures. As much as he would love little more than to see these things fall to the Arbiter, he also wished to live to see justice brought about more wicked creatures.

He peered around the corner of an old stone building, his dark blue cloak hiding him very well against the cold and lifeless gray of the construct. His face was hidden in what was practically an enchanted mask, for it only truly guarded his face. His glass lens eyes peeked just slightly from the custom holes for them as he counted up the undead forces wandering about, no moan as one might believe from these things, simply the sounds of their slow and shuffling footsteps against the dirt roads that had not been used in centuries.

Some held weapons and armor upon their dead flesh, warriors and guards buried or left within their gear, others wore plain clothes, they were clearly citizens, some surely those misfortunate to find themselves unable to escape the terror of the city's demise. A differant man might have shuddered at such a grim thought, and though Krieger would thought no less of such a person, he did not even twitch. He had seen worse things first-hand... He had experienced worse. Perhaps that was what drove him from his retirement, what led him to be recruited by the Silver Hounds. Of course, it didn't matter now. What did was his mission, the need to slay these creatures and keep them from washing over Imythess. The worst thought that had graced the Paladin's thoughts were that these might be a part of some necrotic curse that would pass its way through all the dead.

And that brought forth a thought which actually did make Krieger shudder...

What of paladins who could so easily be turned into the visage of Death itself... The Death Knights that would destroy the country? It could not be allowed to happen...
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Emery
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Lost and alone in the heart of the Ruins, a young black elf sat huddled in a tiny, barricaded stone room, alone in the darkness. From beyond a door blocked by stone debris and ancient furniture, the moans of the dead could be heard shuffling by. The elf shivered, gripping a large stick she'd found even tighter.

Emery hadn't planned to be here, in the heart of the undead's rising. She'd been resting in the ruins. Their remote location and quiet atmosphere seemed the perfect place to rest and hide for a time from those that still hunted her for, what it seemed to Emery, the crime of being born. Things had indeed been peaceful, and she'd happily lived in her small camp, only returning to civilization for supplies. Then, one night, that horrible, cursed groaning began, and the undead began to march.

She'd been awoken by their arrival, panicked, and dug through the earth beneath her as quickly as she could, caring less about the direction than the distance she could make with her Burrowing skills. She surfaced when she thought she'd left the ruins behind, only to find herself surrounded by more undead. Again and again, she tried to dig her way to freedom, diverting her path multiple times around the ancient foundations of great buildings. Finally, she found himself surrounded by stone and by the dead, whose weight was great enough to collapse the tunnel behind him. She abandoned the subterranean and ran, but her flight took him deeper and deeper within. She'd found a large branch to swing, barely keeping the undead away, until she found and barricaded herself in what might have been either a cleaning supply room or a servant's quarters. It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to push everything in the room before the door. The undead were now sealed out, but she was trapped within.

She had supplies, and there was air flowing in so she wouldn't suffocate. One day in this horrible imprisonment it must have rained outside, since water began to trickle and pool in from above. She rationed, she saved the water, but she knew her efforts were in vain. She couldn't leave without dying at the hands of the dead, and no one would dare come this deep inside the ruins to rescue him even if they knew she was here. Outside the undead moaned, slowly driving her mad.

She shivered again, from the cold, the solitude, and the inevitability of her fate.
Edited by Emery, Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:33 am.
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Val
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The paladin waited with baited breath, his fingers tightening around the handle of his great maul as he watched for a break in the undead forces, eyeing an old stone building as a viable safe-house, or even a fortress, for striking down the undead masses. Yet, even despite this, he had no idea what walking dead may be hiding within, if the walls which he could not see from his angle were open enough for the zombies to enter. As good as an idea the safe-house seemed, he would need to wait for the perfect oppertunity to enter, to scout through it and eliminate any horrors which lie in wait to sink what teeth they have left into his very flesh.

The veteran took yet another deep breath, counting the seconds before a zombie turned its back, he saw his oppertunity to move, perhaps the best one he would have for a while considering all of the rotting creatures which walked through the city. He slid his hand just beneath the hammer head of his mighty weapon and set forth as quiet as he could manage. And though his footsteps were heavy upon the wet and dirt-ridden ground, he found no pale eyes of the undead turning their attention to him, perhaps their intinct driven minds merely heard the steps of fellow rtters. It did not matter, what did was that he managed to make it to the building, moving in through what was clearly once a doorframe, though the door had long since rotted from its hinges at the force of nature's destruction.

Inside, sounds were so differant. The echoing of the icy rain and dark winds could be heard rapping and moaning at the outside of the construct, but it was built strong to keep against the elements, save for a few cracks that dotted the walls and ceiling, letting a light dripping of occasional rainwater to fall through the old floor. Yet so far it was still preferrable to the outside world. Even with the clear moanings of undead within the building. The paladin simply readied his hammer and moved forward.

Despite the normal space which his weapon may noramlly require for its arcing swings, he managed to make the halls of the building work to his advantage, working the Arbiter about the head of the shambling horrors and crushing them against the walls or floors. Some he simply dispatched with his bare-hands and sheer force of natural might.

It would only take him a few minutes to dispatch the zombies before leaning up against one of the walls, taking a moment to breathe and think. That was the only moment he needed before he would begin to look around, he could sense something... Not particularly good, yet also not a creature of evil such as what once roamed the halls, groaning in their hunger. A neutral being, perhaps hiding from the dead for survival.

"I know you're there... Reveal yourself, and you may be spared."
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Emery sat, exhausted but too on edge to sleep, when she thought she heard a voice calling out. Her eyes snapped wide open as she listened, straining to hear if there really was someone out there or if the sound just a trick of the wind.

"Hello?" she said, calling back. The voice was too muffled to make out the words, but the fact that they were words meant they weren't from a zombie. "Hello! Help? I'm sure you aren't here to rescue me, but I could use the help..."

She trailed off as she went to the blockaded door to listen, crawling over the rubble she had pressed against the door. She'd been flooded with adrenaline when she'd secluded herself in here, which is the only reason she could think of for managing to move these heavy blocks of stone. How she was going to move them out of the way so she could leave if there was someone out there. She leaned against the door, pressing her long ear flat, gathering all the sounds she could. She became a bit off-kilter, however, as the door swung outward and caused her to collapse on the floor beyond.

She managed to regain her balance before falling on her face, but wondered what just happened. She'd managed to hold off the undead here because she barricaded the door, and this door opened inward, didn't it? Emery had to admit she felt so exhausted both mentally and physically she couldn't trust her memory. At least she solved the issue of how to escape, as well as unnerve her more from knowing all it took would be one zombie choosing to pull instead of push for her to die days ago. Emery stood, balancing on his branch. She stepped forward and glanced around, looking for another living being.

"Hello?" She called again, and drew her dark cloak tighter around her to keep out the chill. Emery's cry was greeted by a deep moan, and two undead rounded a corner to investigate the noise. Emery's eyes grew wide as their heads turned toward her and they began to lumber forward.

"Help!" She yelled, beginning to swing her branch. It was the only weapon she really had, and the only means she had to escape joining the ranks of the shambling dead. She managed to knock the two off balance and began to run, praying there really was someone else here. She doubted she'd find another hiding place soon enough.
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Krieger stayed still and motionless, resting his hands upon the bottom of the mighty maul, Lucius Arbiter, its heavy end dug into the old floor of the building as he awaited a response. He had no idea what thing may be lurking in this construct, he could not even know if it were a sentient member of the undead or if it was something truly alive. All that he knew of this creature was that it was indeed a neutral creature and until Krieger could find where it was, he could not accurately asess the possibility of risk or aid from whatever the creature may be. As he waited for a response, the only sound he allowed to pass by his lips was a sigh, he wanted to give this mysterious being a chance to defend its presence here.

Krieger's head perked up as he heard a call of greeting, what sounded to be a confused tone to the owner and he could not make out whether it was male or female. Such a small detail did not matter, what did was if it could fight or if it was in some way related to the swarm of horrendous undead. However, a differant sort of answer came as the paladin heard the cry for help, as he could now only determine the source as being one of little if any defensive capabilities he lifted the maul into a battle-ready stance before setting off in the direction of the cry.

From his experience, the wicked and deceiving did not often call out a simple hello if they were leading one into a trap, particularly followed by a vocal call for help, it was generally one or the other. It was because of this knowledge gained from past experiences that Bach was so eager to rush to the aid of whatever had found itself trapped within these cold walls.

Krieger's movements were swift as he rounded a corner in the hall, dropping the head of his weapon low and keeping it loose in his grip, quickly seeing with his glass eyes the small figure trying to escape its fate, two members of the rotting undead stumbling about, off-balance. Perhaps whatever the dainty being was had found itself lucky to only face two of the abominations, but the paladin did not slow to see about aiding this one, not immediately. Instead, Krieger Bach brought his hammer low, swinging it over the head of the small one, sidestepping her and rushing a heavy blow to crush the skull of the first undead before quickly freeing his right hand of his weapon's handle to latch onto the forehead of the remaining corpse, crushing its skull against the opposite end of the hammer-end of Lucius Arbiter from the first corpse.

It would take the veteran only a moment be sure of their deaths before he stood straight, turning to see if the being were still there, a simple question coming from beneath the leather collar which extended well over his mouth, "Why are you here?"
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Emery ducked down as someone with humongous eyes, no mouth and armor swung a maul over her head, striking down one of the undead after her. She skittered across the floor on her knees, standing again when she was well away from the three, dark cloak billowing around her. She brought her branch to bear, though she doubted her meager training in staffwork would do much help against the man know braining the second zombie without missing a beat if he decided to change this rescue into an attack. As the second undead fell, he turned toward her, giving her a better glimpse.

He wasn't mouthless, at least. He just had a high leather collar that covered the lower half of his face. The large eyes were caused by some sort of round glass in each socket. His hair was spiked and shades of light and dark. He seemed to be studying her with those big glass eyes.

"Th...Thank you for rescuing me," She said with a deep bow.

"Why are you here?" her rescuer asked, his tone neutral and slightly muffled by the collar.

"I...I was camping in the ruins, and then there were all these undead, and I ran, but I got stuck here and...and..." She withered under his gaze. She felt as though he was judging her, weighing if she should live or die. She hated that feeling, that something about her was lacking or in need of repair. Emery had to admit, however, she wasn't looking her best. She was shaking, dark eyes wild and wide, and still had a death grip on her branch. Her long black hair and skin were dirty and greasy, her long robe and pants were filthy, and her shoes were covered in some sort of slime. She looked like she'd been trapped in a small room for days with only the sounds of the waking dead for company, and felt like it, too.

"I...I just want to get out of here...I'll try to find my own way, if you can point me in the right direction...sir." She hated lowering herself this way, but she was tired, worn, and desperate. If she could fall into the good graces of this man, she might have an escort to the ruin's egress, or at least a rough outline of how to escape. Besides, politeness and honesty had their place, and this was one of them.
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Krieger took a moment to truly examine this creature, listening to her speak as he raised his fallen Silver Hounds hood back upon his head. This girl seemed as if she had been through hell, and without asking there was no real way of knowing just how long she might have been trapped within this construct. The paladin turned his attention to the room where the girl must have been staying, rubble and furniture pressed up against what once was a shut door, and then her means of escape. She was a lucky thing that the undead seemed to have diminished intellect, or at least no interest in checking behind every door of this accursed and rotted city. Slowlly he shut the door, turning his attention back to the girl.

"You are far from what I expected to find when I chose to search these ruins, miss." He would say simply, taking a moment to pause, shifting his head just a little as if to hear if there were any more corpses coming for them, luckily there seemed to be nothing except an eerily well-timed thundercrack, loud and filled with the power of nature. The veteran would not even flinch at this sound, having had heard far worse things in the past from his own brother. Without much thought he would drag his maul from the zombies' corpses to his side, the bodies pulling just a bit with the hammer before sort of sliding off of its seemingly stone design, planting its heavy weighted end end into the ground, his hands overlapping as he rested them upon the wooden end of the heavy warhammer, quickly becoming as still as a statue with his legs parted just slightly. Perhaps if it had not been for the slight motions of the cloak, one could be fooled into believing he really little more than a stone carving.

"Well, it does not matter now... My first duty is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. And it is clear that if you could defend yourself, you would not be trapped within that room. Though it does prove you are quite smart and fortunate." He said, his tone making it clear that he was annoyed with this distraction from his primary goal, though it was ultimately something which could not be helped, he simply shook his head before lifting his maul easily, hefting the massive weapon onto his shoulder as he would approach the girl, reaching into his cloak with his free hand, the other skillfully balancing the maul, before he would pull out a water pouch, offering it to the girl.

"Drink that, regain your strength... We'll be getting you out of this zombie-infested hell-hole and to a nearby Paladin outpost when you're ready." The paladin would say with a very simple tone, so far questioning himself as to why this girl before him was a neutral being. She seemed to be otherwise quite respectful and timid... Perhaps she was apathetic about most things involving morals? Ultimately, it didn't matter. It was simply a thought to occupy his mind before they would leave.
Edited by Val, Thu Dec 8, 2011 5:36 am.
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Emery took the water bottle, grateful for some water that hadn't dripped down ancient stone walls and who knew what else to reach her. There was a slight worry it might be poisoned, but the first taste of water that had only touched oiled leather and, probably, the man's lips, was so delicious she began to gulp. She was rescued, had an escort out of these ruins, and could soon leave this accursed place far behind. She had to grin inwardly at her luck.

"We'll be getting you out of this zombie-infested hell-hole and to a nearby Paladin outpost when you're ready."

Emery nearly choked on the water. Paladins? This man was a paladin? Granted, she didn't know much about them. Emery's mother didn't care for them, warning her child to avoid them as much as she could. According to the monks, it had been some sort of paladin that brought her to the monastery where she was raised after her mother...

Emery was worried about this. The monks were still looking for her, she knew, and if they were willing to take in a strange child at the request of a paladin, it wasn't too large a stretch to guess they'd ask the paladins to return the favor by asking them to hunt her, as well. Her dark appearance, she knew, was unusual enough for the surface that she stuck out, so a description of her was all they would need to detain her or, worse, simply finish her off. This one didn't seem suspicious of her, thankfully, but she couldn't go anywhere near an outpost of them.

First things first, Emery thought. She needed to escape, and this paladin was her means of doing it. Once they were were clear of the ruins, she could slip away and flee elsewhere. She handed back the flask to the paladin.

"Thank you," She said, bowing again to mask her growing fear of what might await her once they were out. "I'll try to help, though I guess my help will simply be staying out of your way. I'm ready to leave. I'm more than eager for a bath and change of clothing."
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The girl's clear worry at Krieger's utterance of the Paladin outpost was clear to him, perhaps it was because of her dark appearance. Dark elves often were not well-trusted upon the surface world. However, Krieger Bach's word for her protection would surely be more than enough to have the Paladin's leave this particular girl alone, perhaps even have a bit of trust to her. He had retired years ago, so he would, of course, have no idea about any monastary's wish for her return, yet even if he did he followed the guidelines set forth by Acuro Zeidenzar, founder of the Tenth Paladin Order of Chaon of which Krieger held his position of Third Templar. If this girl had the capability of surviving on her own on normal circumastances, then it was clear that she was mature enough to make her own decisions, so declared by Acuro Zeidenzar.

The paladin allowed himself to sigh, taking the water-container back and once more storing it within his cloak, a roll of thunder overshadowing his breath. He nodded his head to her words of simply staying out of his way, "Stay low and close to me... There are too many husks wandering about out there seeking for flesh to devour." He warned, moving past the girl before he would drop his hammer to its battle-ready position, his fingers looser around the handle, the maul tilted upwards to make it easier for him to drop its full weight down upon whatever creature may be lurking aronud a corner, though his body's stance was much looser, a good way to stay quick on his feet when coupled with the way he held his warhammer, as well as the fact that there were many undead to deal with once they left the building.

Whatever Bach's original goal was, it was quickly overshadowed with getting this girl to safety. He listened closely for any moans of shambling horrors, to which he heard none, the ones from outside overpowered by the sound of the rain and the occasional thunder. A storm was truly starting to brew, the leaks in the ceiling almost turning into light streams from the amount of rain that washed over the roof in blankets. As much as the paladin hoped that the rain may distract the undead, he knew that the truth of the matter would be vastly differant.

He would navigate his way towards the enterance, encountering no undead along the way though he knew that once he exited, the zombies would be in full, they were simply too stupid to get out of the rain. As he stopped before the open portal, he would peer out into the thick rain for a moment before turning his glass gaze behind him, making sure that the girl were still behind him and with a single deep breath he would rush out into the rain, his boots falling heavily onto the light mud in the ground, raising the Lucius Arbiter high into the sky before he would bring it down in force upon the first of undead, a guard left in his armor with only one eye left in its head... That would truly be an easy kill, for in only moment the rest of the zombies would realize the live flesh nearby that they could sink their teeth into.
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Emery followed behind the paladin, but never too close in case the man needed to move back quickly or, perhaps, grab her for some insidious reason. From his manner and actions thus far, she doubted anything but long-trained paranoia supported the latter reason, but it never hurt to be careful. And, as her mother had told her once, you can never really trust paladins. They'd strike you down without a word because they deemed you unworthy.

As for herself, she held her branch at the ready, trying to recall the lessons she and the other monk initiates learned as part of their training for spiritual enlightenment; the monastery believed that one couldn't reach true inner peace if one didn't focus on not only the spirit but the mind and body. Emery thought the entire philosophy they had was a whole field of bullplop, but the quarterstaff training had been fun and especially useful here. She only wished she had a proper weapon, one she wouldn't worry would simply break over the next undead's head.

The paladin suddenly stopped and glanced back to check on the young elf behind him. They stood at a open doorway that funneled the sounds of the falling rain and the cacophony of an entire horde of undead to their ears. Emery shook and squeezed her weapon so hard she felt it might shatter to splinters in her thin hands. There were so many out there. They had to find another way. A single paladin and elf weren't able to handle so many undead at once.

The paladin, however, seemed to believe differently. He rushed through the door, downing the closest zombie with a single blow to their armored head. As it fell, its armor clanging together, the rest of the undead turned to face the newcomer. To Emery, it felt like the entire world froze as, for what seemed far longer than the brief moment it was, they studied the paladin. Then, their moans rising to breathy howls, they charged.

Emery stayed in the doorway, out of the way and protected from being surrounded if the horde turned toward her. She could, possibly, hold off any zombie that did decide to funnel toward her, but they seemed focused on the paladin. Emery had to wonder if the man was really that good or simply mad. She considered simply burrowing through the mud to safety, but that was how she had become stuck here in the first place. There were too many stone walls and foundations buried around here to dig in a straight line, and she'd simply be turned around and lost once more, and she doubted she'd be fortunate enough to be rescued again. Instead, it would be best to aid the paladin however she could.

With the moment of calm she had in this tempest of horror, she shut her eyes and focused on another tattoo of hers, Arial Anchor. She opened them again, but now her view was that of a bird, far above the muddy field of undead. It looked like a wide courtyard, undead filling it to a distressing degree.The falling rain obfuscated her vision, and the horde contracting around them was distracting, but as she studied, she saw what seemed to be an exit from the courtyard where the zombies were thinner in number. She didn't know if it would take them further from the entrance or simply trap them, but she was worried far more abot the undead at the possible death of her protector.

"Paladin!" She shouted, wondering if he'd be able to hear her through the rain and the howls of the dead. "We can get out that way!" She pointed with her staff, but her call attracted a few of the undead to disengage the paladin and attack her instead. She stood in the doorway, which prevented more than two from reaching her at once, and jabbed, kicked, struck, and headbutted any zombie that came too close, switching to male to take advantage of the extra muscle mass he had as that gender. He needed every bit of power he could muster here, though if the paladin didn't help soon, his best hope would be to block the entrace with the bodies of the undead.
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The paladin knew full well that a direct rush like this would be a foolish one given the immense numbers of undead that were soon flooding his position even more than the sheets of rain that beat down upon his Silver Hounds cloak. However he was not shaken by the odds, for his goal was not to eliminate the whole of shambling corpses that walked the cold streets lined by haunted stone buildings, but rather to clear a path through the decaying horrors. At first he believed that the elf were right behind him, but as he pivoted to crush the torso of yet another zombie, he found no small dark figure by his side. A closer examination of the situation and he saw that his companion hid by the doorway. Perhaps it was the best course of action given the situation, but the paladin believed that it would allow them to go nowhere fast.

However, Bach would be remiss if he did not realize the usefulness of the girl's standing as she called out a path that could lead to their escape. The veteran turned quickly once more to look in the direction, cleaving the holy maul and its handle through several more undead with ease, taking a quick moment to study the exit before turning back, eyeing the undead that were rushing on his companion's location for shouting her information. The Paladin roared out, turning the Lucius Arbiter sideways before he began to charge, slamming his weapon into a path of undead, knocking them to the ground and trampling over them as he made his way to the enteranceway of the old stone building.

With a moment and two percise swings of his mighter warhammer, the paladin would clear the undead from the doorway, turning about to see an arc of undead shambling and stumbling towards the door before looking back to his companion... Now a boy. He would pause for just a moment, the elf having apparently changed gender... A Gemini, no doubt. Perhaps that is how she... he... the young one was able to blockade the door.

"Shift to your female form..." Krieger would say without a second thought on the matter, crouching down and eyeing the coming hoard, "Then wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight." The Paladin suggested, once more shifting his maul sideway once more, preparing to charge forward.

Once his small dark elfin companion would do as he said, the veteran would begin his charge, same as before, trampling over the unarmored undead that stood in his way, pausing only a few times to slam through the defenses of a shielded corpse before continuing his rush once more in the direction that the girl... young one... had earlier called out at own personal risk. The depths of Hell would be frozen over before Krieger allowed the young Gemini to be devoured by the undead. He was Krieger Bach, Third Templar of the Tenth Paladin Order of Chaon, a defender of the helpless, and this young one was under his protection.
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Emery ducked as something fast arced overhead. He looked up to see the half hidden face of the paladin staring down at him, his maul at the ready. "Thanks," he said, suddenly realizing he'd lost his advantage of being seen as a "helpless young girl." It was a major reason he chose to spend so much time as a female. Maybe he was dismissed and taken less seriously as a girl, but he was also dismissed and taken less seriously as a girl, not to mention that he was more likely to find help for free. People listened more when he was a boy, but they gave him more as a girl.

However, now he lost that edge with the paladin, and he didn't know how he'd react. The paladin turned his back on Emery to face the oncoming undead. "Shift to your female form," he said, a slight pause in his words, "then wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight."

Emery blinked. Well, the paladin at least seemed to accept Emery's ability with little trouble. He considered teasing the man about his first request, but this was hardly the time or the place. With a bit of focus, Emery added an S to her pronouns and climbed on the paladin's back. She was forced to drop her branch, however, since she couldn't think of any way to hold it without hitting or chocking her impromptu mount. "Ready," she said when she felt secure, and gasped. The paladin moved far faster than she would have guessed, ramming through the undead, hitting aside any that weren't trampled by his initial rush.

They made it through the initial press of undead, running through the archway into a muddy path lined with the crumbling walls of the dead city. There were undead here as well, but they were fewer and further between. Emery thought now would be a good time to try and build up some amiability between himself and the paladin, since it couldn't hurt and could help a great deal if she couldn't slip away before they reached his paladin outpost.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention that I could change before, but there's not really a good way to say it," she said, going for making up for her earlier deception by omission. "I...I have a few tattoos. Some might help. Like...like I can see things from above. I'll do that now." She closed her eyes an opened them again, looking down on their small moving forms. She shifted her attention to the buildings. Most were just walls, or the bottom foot of walls, overgrown with vines and vegetation. Some had higher walls, suggesting there was more than one story here once. The remnants of higher floors near the walls was all that was left on most of them. One or two did have higher floors, though, and one coming up on their right...

"Turn right here!" she yelled, perhaps a tad too close to his ear. "On the left side there's a building with higher floors. If you can get us up there, maybe we can look around and figure out our escape route, I mean, if you aren't sure which way would be best..."
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Val
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Krieger listened to the otherwise pointless apology that the gemini made, but offered to response in return. To speak was to expel air and to make running just a bit more taxing while he ran with the maul in hand, he could feel free to accomodate a response at a later time when they reached a safer area, but in the middle of a muddy street in a city filled with the hungering dead was not the right time to talk of such things. Perhaps a differant paladin, one of the Eight or Twelvth Orders of Chaon woud hold problem with such a blatant use of form-shifting abilities, yet fortunately for the young one Krieger Bach was of the Tenth Order, the Paladin order which used magic or abilities of detecting alignment to cast judgement. This particular paladin's ability was given to him through his bloodline, luckily for the young one upon his back for without it he would not have been able to know that she was there in the building, and thus would have been left for dead.

Krieger listened close and quick to the gemini as it called ut its directions amongst the sheets of rain falling, and quickly enough Krieger slammed the head of his maul into the ground at the nearest intersection, using it as an anchor to spin about, retaining most of his momentum while making the sharp turn and effortlessley lifting it back into both hands before continuing on, his glass eyes focused and locking quickly on the structure that the being riding upon his back had mentioned. Without second thought or of questioning her suggestion, the paladin would rush into the building, his warhammer ready. It woulld only take him a moment to navigate the half-collapsed building, crushing several undead located within and rushing to the highest floor in the old construct, despite the decayed and ruined stairs, torn apart by the elements over the years.

Krieger would leave the elf to do whatever it must in order to find the best path to lelave the ruined city, taking the time to examine the half of a floor which still stood in the old and decrepit building, his glass eyes settling upon old books, some scattered across the floor, ancient painting, perserved only by the glass and frames that managed to stand the tests of time. Even old wooden furniture toppled over onto the floor save what must have been an od couch, judging by the intricate design and work put into the crafting of it, though one of its legs had long since been removed. Yet despite all of this, Krieger would stand still, awaiting for the next suggestion of movement which this girl might have. Surely without her and her enchanted tattoos, it would prove to be a great deal more difficult to escape this standing testament to death called a city. He had almost forgotten his original mission by this point... Oh well, it didn't matter. What did was making sure that this gemini survived.

"What is your name, young one?"
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Emery
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Safe above the horde for now, Emery dropped from the paladin's back. This place had been partially protected from the elements, and detritus of a forgotten resident still littered the room. She stepped over the scattered remains of a lost life to stand in the middle of the room. She closed her eyes, opened them, and surveyed the land spread beneath her. The undead were already beginning to shuffle closer, the scent of the living carried to them through the rain. Thankfully, the weather limited just how far out that scent went, so there were only...she counted...about a score or two that would be clawing at the walls below and working their ways up the dilapidated stairs. She cast her eyes toward the horizon. The haze of rain made it more difficult, but she was able to see a brighter spot in the gloom, where the grey of the world lightened slightly.

"I think I see...there's several fires over that way," she said, her physical body pointed where her Ariel eyes focused. "I don't know who made them, but I doubt it was undead." She looked down, trying to map out in her memory the mass of paths, roads, and possible corridors they would need to take.

"What is your name, young one?" the paladin asked. He'd kept still and silent as she looked, and she started at the sudden break in the silence of the rain. She blinked, bringing her vision back to the room. Tempted though she was to lie and give a pseudonym, she didn't know what this man was capable of. She'd heard of spells that could tell lies and falsehoods, and she had no means of telling if he possessed such an ability or even if he was using it or not. Until it was imperative she conceal the truth, it was best to avoid lies.

"Emery," she said. "And I want to thank you again for helping me. I know that rescuing me wasn't the reason you were so deep in the ruins, but it's...good of you to help me." She bowed, since such a show of respect cost her nothing. "You don't need to bother your friends with me, though. As soon as we get clear of the undead, you can go back to your mission, and I won't bother you again."
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Val
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Krieger knew well which camp would be so close to the ruined city as for its lights to pale the gray and stormy sky. It was the very one from which he had departed, belonging to the First Paladin Order of Taras, the first and the last order of the once-great city. Their intentions and their code he knew very little about, though. He knew that they believed in crushing the undead before the wrought their way about the Imythessian lands. They were an eager group, truly holding something to prove, the capital city being destroyed despite their best efforts. Those who were left in the Paladin Order were missing either eyes, limbs or both. Yet they did not give up the fight against evil, willingly placing their encampment as close as possible to the city without it being overrun, their bonfire being large and bright to attract as many of the undead as they could and now that same fire would act as a beacon to guide the two to the closest thing they had to safety.

The paladin wuold turn his attention back to the elf, initially giving no response. It was his sworn duty to protect those who required it from the forces of evil. It had lost him his primary objective, sure enough, but for that he cared very little. One so young as Emery had a life to look forward to, an endless string of possibilities for her life to take, and Krieger currently hoped that saving her this day would create a domnioe effect, to lead her to aiding others when she could. Perhaps that was little more than wishful thinking, but Bach was often accused of being a dreamer.

He would turn his attention back away from the gemini and to the painting upon the wall of an old man, old in artistic style and an old-seeming subject. A long beard... Krieger was simply looking away so that he may have a moment to think.

"Emery... It's a boy's name." He said, wondering about what the child's original gender might have been if her gender-shifting capabilities came from an enchanted tattoo.

Without much more of a moment, Krieger listened to the sounds of the pouring rain, the clear sounds of an incantation ringing out with immense power. The paladin did not hesistate to move himself between the direction of the casting and Emery. And almost as if on cue, the wall with the portrait would erupt into a scatter-spray of debris, chunks of wall flying forth and pelting the veteran, though he was sturdy enough to take the damage.

"No! You're still alive! Stay still while I take another shot!" A voice would roar out through the rain, followed by laughter. The voice belonged to a necromancer, a cloak hiding most of his features though pale and relatively young skin would be seen from it if they could get a good look at the bastard. He was an escaped prisoner from a convoy that was on its way to Striberg... No doubt everybody in the caravan was dead now.

Krieger would not hesitate for a moment to turn around to try and pick Emery up with his free hand before rushing for the stairs, which would soon erupt as the wall had moments ago... The necromancer was playing with them.
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