Dreadlords You Are Digging Your Grave

[Kilien Basmarc]

"How fast can you run, Basmarc?"

Kilien, who for several moments found himself enthralled with the notion that he'd just stepped out from a fething tree trunk into the middle of the forest, narrowed his eyes at her in an expression that clearly went huh? How did one quantify the speed in which they ran for their fucking life away from a pack of bloodthirsty kraits?

He looked at her, then he looked at himself. Looked at his boots - still tied snugly all thanks to Initiate Monroe's attentive duty. With a shrug he lifted both hands and then patted them to his middle, "Fast enough?"

One hand dipped beneath his jacket and plied through its inner pockets for the wand secured within.

A smirk stretched the scruff of his face as he withdrew the wand and gave it a readying twirl that left a trail of glowing blue ether through the air, "Faster if you hold my hand."

Norah

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund looked out at the room they had uncovered, wrapped up with vines and other plants bursting up from between the cracks in the floor. He was breathing heavy after the ordeal of moving that door, but switched to a quiet nose breathing after seeing what was before them.

The creature was out on the balcony, seemingly unaware of their presence. The eyeless thing just waited there, as if goading whoever would walk into this room into attacking it. Cormund looked into his periphery to see a vision of another future in which predatory instinct overtook reason, only to see three more kraits waiting for them, clung to the wall above the terrace.

Ophir seemed to think things through though, but the information was still valuable. Maybe not valuable enough to risk alerting the krait with a spoken prophecy. He simply gave Vittoria a knowing look and whispered.

"Trust him. It's a good idea."

He would have to trust the others to have the correct intuition as well, it seemed.

 

[Norah]

"Faster if you hold my hand."

Norah looked like she'd been forced to swallow a lemon. Cheeks tensing from that sour pucker as he held out his hand. A warning look in her moonlit shadowed eyes of: don't kressin' touch me.

But her stomach did drop at the tint of magic coming from the end of his wand. Their clock had just started.

There was a screech from the manor. Followed by a second. And a third.

The slight girl didn't wait. She took off. Short legs pumping hard and it was clear she'd had to run for her life before. Many times over. A practiced frenzy to her speed.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Indeed, Vittoria had to trust.

The kraits that had been closest to them all caught a whiff of magic and ran on all fours to the source, There was movement elsewhere, and more of the magic feeding creatures made for the origin of the magical bait. She spared a thought on Kilien and Norah, hoping they were able to get away in time.

"What are our orders now?" She gritted out, wishing she could run after the creatures and test her magic upon them. Ophir already had given her the order to let Kilien handle the lure, and for her to wait her turn.

"Let us clear the building. Make our way to the horses." Those that were left that had not been spooked and gotten away. "We find as many of our numbers before coming up with the next step." And he took off with an urgency that Vittoria hurried to keep pace with.

They were all so cautious, looking around their surroundings for any sign of the creatures in fear of catching their attention. Ophir led them, calling out for any difficult footings along their path as his connection to the earth alerted him. It was this remaining trace in their blood that had concerned Vittoria, that perhaps the kraits could sense them.

She could only hope that were not true.

"What about Kilien? Norah?"

"I can sense footfalls east of us. We are behind them."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

It was hard to distinguish the look on Norah's face. Indeed, was she grimacing at him as a whole or merely at the general idea of holding hands? Should he be offended? Maybe, but in the moment all he could feel was amusement. Kilien's easy smirk persisted after her as he raised his free hand and twiddled his fingers in her direction as a tease.

She ran off.

Oof. Ah well, can't charm 'em all. Smacking his lips in defeat, Kilien slowly turned his gaze in the direction of the piercing screeches heralding the arrival of their pursuers. Norah had cut off at a blazingly impressive pace that he cared not to keep up with. Too much effort. Instead, he turned and headed north, deeper into the forest.

From a distance the sound of magic-fire preceded a display of glistening explosions that trailed up above the canopy. They sparkled and gleamed in red, blue, and green, filling the sky with booms and crackles. Magical fireworks that persisted in a series of cascading bursts, drawing the attention of nearly every living thing in the area. Especially the kraits.

Kilien shoved his way through undergrowth as he moved along at a pace that wavered between hurried and leisurely. He could hear the sound of the horrible beasts catching up.

Good.

"This way you ugly fucks!" ​

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"Lairrainth."

Vittoria cut a glance to Ophir, who merely nodded to her with a grim expression.

"Back them up."

Vittoria smiled, her feet changing course and going to meet with Kilien and Norah. Ophir would get Cormund to the rest of their squad, perhaps where he could get better medical attention that magic could not afford. It was time to let the girl do what she did best, and that was to be on the offensive.

Going east meant she would cross paths with Norah first, two daggers in her hands and raised in case she had to defend herself, but the smaller Initiate was no towering krait standing on their hind legs.

"Where is Kilien?" She asked, frowning. Expected to find them both, to direct them to safer ground. Before Norah could answer, a loud bellowing shout reached their ears.

"This way you ugly fucks!"​

Vittoria's jaw stiffened, slowly shaking her head. He did not need to be the actual lure for the creatures... "We need to figure out how many there are. Our magic against them will not work, but if we can trap them at least..."

 

[Norah]

Norah thought about running right past Vittoria Larrainth. Her thumb already hooked over her shoulder in silent response to her question about where her boyfriend was. But she slowed her pace as she approached her classmate, catching her breath. It would not be wise to ditch her classmates now.

She, like Larrainth, didn't know how many were out there. How much was she willing to bet her own safety on that?

"There are a lot," she said flatly. Quietly into the night. "Can't you just rip them apart with your magic?" Moonlit dark eyes flickered back to the girl's cuff. If she needed it off, Norah was more than happy to pick it off. She had tools.

Looking over her shoulder, she pointed to the right of where she'd just run.

"If we circle back that way I bet we'll run into Kil and maybe, just maybe we won't run into any of these creatures on the way."

Norah froze. Instincts rearing up before she actually saw it watching them. "Too late," she whispered.