Kisibhi peered through the bushes towards the encampment. It hadn't been hard to follow the smoke from the camp. It was walled off with timbers, judging by the many different pillars of smoke, there were multiple campfires burning, which meant sneaking in wasn't an option anymore.

"Alright, kitty cat, what's your plan now?" the dark elf asked, her eyes glittering. Kisibhi flared her nostrils, her shoulders felt heavier the longer she stared at the camp. The evening air carried a chill that made her fur stand on end.

"This one is going to walk through the front door" she answered simply, the dunmer choked on her drink.

"What?" she demanded furiously "are you suicidal?"

"Not generally, no. But this one won't be able to sneak, and as undesirable an option it is, Kisibhi would rather carve her way through them to save time" she glanced at the lions, they were staring fixedly at the camp as well.

'Would they give a sign if the paladins died?' she wondered apprehensively, Kisibhi returned her attention to the dark elf woman who was still staring at her. Although, now she looked puzzled.

"From my understanding, you don't know these travelers you're helping very well. Why are you even doing this?" she asked finally, choosing her words carefully. Kisibhi paused, adjusting her satchel to buy time.

"...Because they don't deserve to die alone" she answered when it was no longer acceptable to stay silent. Kisibhi stood and checked her staff, the dunmer followed suit, her expression skeptical.

"I guess it'll be fun to watch" she muttered, Kisibhi ignored her and took a steadying breath, her hands were shaking.

"Stay here, Kisibhi will send the kittens to you" she told the lions as she hopped down and started off towards the encampment. The juniper shrubs caught on her fur, but she didn't let it deter her course. Kisibhi spotted a sentry walking around the outside, but the dunmer woman seemed to almost appear out of thin air behind him and slit his throat, holding him down while he suffocated. She gestured for Kisibhi to continue, she trotted forward and shoved the front gate of the encampment open. No one really looked her way except for those sitting at the closest fires. She didn't give them time to give her too much thought, casting a reanimation spell on all the bones she could feel beneath her feet, the ground cracked in several places as full and half skeletons crawled from their unceremonious graves, grabbing at whoever was nearest them and tearing into them with boney fingers and sharp teeth. The merriment in the camp died out as screams took the place of laughter. Kisibhi kept the gate blocked, violet magic reanimated even the oldest corpse buried, the newly dead fell to the same fate, and turned on those who they had been eating and speaking with.

It didn't take long for the screams to stop completely, Kisibhi released her hold on the bodies, and they crumpled and began to rot from the toll of the magic she had used.

"You didn't leave any for me" the dunmer complained, coming from behind. Kisibhi jumped a bit, her head was swimming from the release of the spell.

"You were too slow" she shrugged, the dunmer snickered and stepped lightly over the bodies, heading for the entrance to the mine. Kisibhi followed her, ignoring the squishing sound of blood soaked dirt. She waited patiently for the dunmer woman to pick the lock before they slipped inside. It smelled musty, like moldy rocks and moss that had broken through the walls. Kisibhi could also smell blood, and smoke around the dominating wet stone. The dunmer let her take the lead, staff out and eyes narrowed as they crept around the winding corners. Laughter and shouting could be heard in the main hall, as they rounded the last corner, she spotted at least twenty more of the Namira cultists, Shiro was being forcibly tied to a stone altar, and Keith was screaming and trying to throw his captures off.

"This one-" Kisibhi was cut off as the dunmer woman walked past her, practically strutting into the main room. Kisibhi stared in mild horror before scrambling to slip inside, close to the walls and shadows as the dunmer woman cleared her throat and attracted the attention of the entire room. Kisibhi pressed close to the wall and crept forward, inching along in the shadows a hair's-breadth from some of the celebrants as she made her way towards Shiro on the altar. The evident leader, in her furs and worn out dress, turned to look at the dunmer.

"You're interrupting my party" she called out angrily, still holding an odd purple knife over Shiro's chest. He was desperately trying to yank his hands free. Kisibhi slipped passed a crumbling pillar and waited, Keith was staring at the new arrival just as worriedly.

"Well, I wasn't going to keep waiting for an invitation, mangy whore" the dunmer replied sourly, Kisibhi laid her staff down softly as she could, reaching over and covering Shiro's mouth when she finally reached the head of the altar. He whimpered until he craned his head enough to see her. Eyes bright and focused as she glanced between the knife hovering above him and his binds.

"Seize her!" The woman screamed angrily, Kisibhi didn't wait as she turned back to face Shiro, her staff colliding with the woman's head and knocking her unconscious and the sounds of the dunmer fighting off the horde resounded in the cavern. Kisibhi tore the knife out of the unconscious woman's hand and started sawing the ropes, freeing Shiro. Keith was struggling against his own captures who were descending on him with a dagger. She blasted one with a bolt of lightning and leaped off the dais, bashing another over the head with her staff while Shiro grappled with the third. She cut Keith's hand free, letting him take the knife and giving them ward cover so they could grab the scattered pieces of their armor.

"Go! Run!" she shouted, keeping cover fire up, and blasting one of the cultists with a rot spell before they could get the jump on the dunmer woman. The leader stood, having recovered from her thrashing, eyes bright and enraged.

"You stole my childhood!" the dunmer screamed, nearly decapitating another cultist in her rage. "And now I've found you, ringbearer. And I'm going to enjoy killing you!" the woman laughed even as the dunmer descended on her, Kisibhi didn't stay to watch, chasing after Shiro and Keith who had frozen as soon as they exited the mine, stumbling across her carnage.

"Oh my g-"

"No! We are running, go!" she shoved them and kept them moving quickly away, the lions met them at the gate, anxious to have their paladins back. The scrambled onto the lions backs, Shiro yanked Kisibhi up in front of him and the lions tore off, nearly unseating them, and raced back towards the sparse forests.

"What about your friend?" Keith shouted, Kisibhi shook her head.

"She doesn't need anymore help, believe Kisibhi!"

AN...So, it's been a bit over a year since this story has been updated. Long story short, this story was on paper for the first few chapters, but then me and my cowriter lost some of the pages, and during that time we both lost slight interest in continuing this story, not completely, but other projects and priorities popped up. But we're back now and motivated to work on this some more! R&R and see you next time!