laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

In the morning's darkness, Kailee followed Brittany's frantic race to escape whomever was trying to hunt the vampire as her dark elf friend returned to her side. Moments in time, to the northeast, the vampire led her pursuers away from the cave as she teleported and flew.

"Any clues," Adgertesse' queried as they crouched in the thick underbrush.

"Not of who's chasing her, no. But, we need to help her," Kailee informed as she rose.

"Wait. Who's chasing her?"

"I don't know yet, she hasn't said."

"What did she say?"

"To get the others out of here," Kailee stated as she moved through the forest, around thick trunks and under low branches.

Tess grabbed her arm. "Hold on, why would she want us to get them out unless this is someone who's using her as bait?"

Kailee hadn't thought of that, she didn't get that far. Turning, "I can't allow her to die for us. We have to save her."

"No. You go to the cave and gate the others from here and I'll get Brittany."

"Your senses can pick her up from here?"

"I've been at this longer than you," the nightblade pulled her towards the town as she moved by. "Get them out of here, we'll catch up."

"No. I'm not letting you do that, you have no idea who's on her trail."

"Neither do you, now go." Orange glowing eyes intensified as the dark elf then turned and sped eastward leaving Kailee standing in place, irritated. Sighing, she spun and sprinted back through the small hamlet and rushed to the cave, hoping that no one had found the hide yet. Once arriving at the entrance, she could hear the echoing sounds of steel and smell the sweat, hear the heartbeats of Breagan's men as they defended their charges. Drawing her sword, she rushed to the rear of the attackers which she immediately recognized as wraiths. Dark floating forms swayed in long, tattered cloaks dirty from travel as they swung their weapons. Turning to shades of red, the cave's dim light intensified as Kailee attacked, sending the first victim into a screeching pile of clothing which gained the attention of the other five as they all turned on her at once. Feints, parrys and thrusts as the men defending the cave moved to her defense now, free from their positions as the wraiths' haunting voices echoed loudly in the warm tunnel. Stabbing, she twisted the blade and swung down into the second on her right as the demon then attacked a third as they pressed her towards the wall. Feeling their wounding hits, she ignored them as white hot eyes glowed and parried, then cut into another. As Breagan dropped the last, all of the men stepped back, fear in their eyes as her seething breaths pushed through fangs, glaring at each of them until she relaxed, calming in time as pain seared through her body. Dropping to the ground, she cried out.

"Get the ladies out of here, they're in danger," she pushed as her surroundings swirled in a sickening mist of flesh and dark grey, then black.

* * *

Sprinting through the forest, Adgertesse' pushed to catch those trying to kill or capture her friend, hoping that Kailee was doing her part and not following. She could be so hard headed sometimes. Soon, the thundering of mounts echoed in her ears to the far left and she knew these were the Brittany's pursuers. Cat-like, she turned and sped towards them, keeping downwind as the heavy, acrid scents of body odor hit her nose. As she pressed her interception, she noticed the four whose armor and sweaty arms faintly glowed in the moonlight and recognized the dark skinned creatures. These nadlac were far from home, she thought as she leaped through the air, cutting through the thick hide at the neck of the rear-most rider, then continued into the forest on the other side. Stopping, she turned as the warrior's mount spun and growled. Adgertesse' reached up to her belt, grabbed one of her throwing daggers and backhanded it as she moved to the next rider. Hitting the large wolf between the eyes, the beast yelped as it hit the ground, gaining the attention of the other three, one of which barked an alarm. Grinning darkly, she disappeared in the darkness and moved through the shadows to then emerge behind the leader as he sat and scanned the forest, large waraxe in hand. Grabbing his chin, she lifted up and to the left as her shortsword plunged into his neck, then let go and disappeared again, dropping the bulky, strong beast who slumped in his saddle and then dropped to the ground.
Repeating the action, she moved behind the third as the remaining duo frantically sniffed the air for their attacker which emerged behind her next victim, dispatching him with equal disdain then drifted into the dark shadows. As she moved up to the remaining mercenary, he laughed.

"You think you've won something here? Your friends are dead as we speak," his dark, narrow eyes scanned in the dim light as she moved to his left flank, preparing for the strike. "Idanac will have all of their heads and your fruitless campaign will finally be over," he spouted as she crept silently to his back.

Suddenly, a flash of dark movement leapt from the trees and knocked him from the saddle. Crashing into the hard packed ground covered in roots and brush, the wolf turned to help it's rider as Tess stabbed and cut into it's neck, then leaped over it's back to help her newly acquired ally as the nadlac tried to fight them off. Gripped to his back, Brittany clawed at his eyes as she bit into exposed flesh giving Tess the opening she needed as she stabbed into the joint between chestplate and shoulder piece, plunging her blade into his chest which dropped him as the vampire released her grip and stood. As they watched him die, Adgertesse' scanned the forest for any more, finding none.

"Thanks for the help," Brittany stated. "I was hoping they'd give up soon but, it didn't look promising."

"These things are trained to carry out their goal until completed or they're dead. They would've chased you across the Kuzomen Empire if they had to," she informed as the nightblade moved westward, back towards their hiding place.

"You came out here alone?"

"Kailee went back to the cave to gate the others away."

"Good. Did she say where?"

"No. But, we'll find them," she returned, sprinting as dawn began slowly lightening the horizon. "Fly ahead and get to safety, I'll catch up."

"Okay."

Morphing, she soon heard the beat of leathery wings speed into the distance as Brittany would need to get to shelter. Tess still felt the adrenaline rushing in her veins and hoped that no one had also found their secluded home. Blue, the morning sky was clear as the large trees and rock around the entrance to the cave, yawning open as if to take in the western breeze and salty air from the distant sea. Cautiously, she entered as her heart began to pound with the realization that no one was nearby to challenge her. They shouldn't be after all, she thought until finding a line of bodies, mangled amidst the rocks and dark grey walls and floor. Among the torn human bodies, she noticed musty black robes which upon closer inspection, she recognized some form of ethereal creature, wraith or something similar. They had found it, she thought as she stood, then ran to the rearmost chamber, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness to find more bodies of Kristal's servants lying about. Someone had gotten here before Kailee returned but, where was her friend? Orange eyes frantically searched through the refuse and empty coffins to find nothing.

"They're not here," Brittany's voice cut through the darkness. "He took them."

Adgertesse' spun to see the lithe form move towards her slowly, stepping over large vertebrae. "Who?"

"A demon. When I arrived, they had just gated Kailee and the girls away. I'm not sure where." Sniffing, the vampire moved to the cluster of mahogany boxes and crouched.

"Then we have to find them. But, not right now. You get your rest and I'll keep an eye out for you," Tess stated as she moved to her friend. "Don't worry, they'll be alright."

Looking up to her, Brittany's blue eyes shimmered. "How do you know that?"

"I have a feeling he'll want them alive." Adgertesse's fears went far beyond that and she figured the vampire had no problem mentally hearing them as they flowed.

"When I awake, we'll leave then."

Tess nodded. "Alright."