Battle in the Forest

Abel was one of the first of the trio to freeze, his wings raising up instinctively, remaining folded yet ready to unfurl to shield their owner. "Footsteps... three pairs, two of them male," he whispered, already able to distinguish who or what was ahead, even gender. But location… "There are more.. but.." "But?" Jessie whispered just a bit harshly as she assumed a ready position, "But what?" "I can't hear them, I can't tell where the rest a..." The kindred's words were cut short as the sound of a cross-bow catch release reached his tipped ears, snapping a wing out before him as he shielded himself with his arms. The bolt came to an abrupt stop in the feathered flesh near the top joint. The wince that came after bought the hidden snipers enough time to aim and focus a long arrow to go unheard. With a sickening 'thock' the composite bow's arrow pierced through the long pin feathers and into his lower chest. Though the miscalculation missed his heart completely it was enough to drop him.
Before Jessie or Admar could turn back and react, the gargled battle cry of the possessed warriors echoed among the trees as they erupted from the dense thicket. The empty eye sockets of the animated corpses flared with a fiery green light as four descended upon the trio with scimitars drawn, a hail of repeating cross-bow bolts following in their haphazard wake. Admar ducked down behind a fallen tree trunk. He looked across to see Abel lying on the floor with two crossbow bolts sticking into him. Jessie was sitting behind the stump of a dead tree. Admar called out, "Who are they?"
"Berathia!" Jessie shouted back. Another crossbow bolt sailed through the air and landed with a clunk in the stump protecting Jessie.
Admar risked a glance into the dark shadow-shrouded woods ahead of him. The four warriors with flaming eyes were moments away. He reached a tentative arm out and grabbed the fallen form of the blind vampire. With all of his strength he pulled the limp form behind the fallen tree. Then with a laugh he drew one of his throwing knives and threw it straight at one of the approaching figures. It sunk up to its hilt into his chest, but the green, flame eyed warrior continued his approach. Jessie called out to him, "You can't kill this kind of being that way. They..." Another crossbow bolt sunk into the trunk of the tree protecting Jessie. "You have to decapitate them!" "What!" exclaimed Admar.
"You heard me," Jessie grimly responded.

In the forest, Novanus approached the area where Jessie and Admar were being attacked. Novanus led Seth forwards, but at a slower pace after hearing the commotion up ahead. Sitting in the green ferns up ahead were two beings both crouched down shooting crossbow bolts. "Having problems, gentlemen?" he said to them. Both figures turned and aimed their crossbows at him. With a click both bolts sped through the air. With a deft flick of his arm, he caught both bolts. The eyes flamed even fiercer as he hurled the bolts back at the two shooters. Both hit their targets, and both had no effect. Novanus knew this type of being but he couldn't remember how to kill them. He grabbed Lessa's flame blade from her side and prepared to face the two.

"The crossbows have stopped firing," called Admar. This was what the pair had been waiting for. They both leapt from behind their positions and ran towards the four flame-eyed warriors, Jessie with her wraithen blade and Admar with his double-bladed staff. As he ran, he flicked the tiny mechanism which extended the two long blades from their positions at either end of the hilt. With a spin Admar decapitated the first warrior and blocked an attack from the other. The last warrior began a dizzying whirl of attacks. Admar blocked hit after hit but he began to feel his strength fading. The mistake was a simple one. Just as Admar raised his weapon to decapitate the warrior, he left his midriff undefended. The flame eyed warrior thrust his scimitar into Admar even as his head was severed from his body. Both fell to the floor. Jessie ran over her fallen comrade. Admar smiled at her, "Don't worry lass, it's not that bad, just a little uncomfortable, that's all." He laughed, coughing up blood. The crimson liquid spilled out of his cheek and hit the forest floor

Novanus squared himself against the two warriors. "Berathian," that was what these creatures were. Undead warriors with only one purpose, to follow the direct orders of their master. Decapitation was the only means by which they could be felled. Novanus feinted to his left but came through on the right, slicing through bone and sinew. The head of the first warrior rolled to the floor. Wasting no time, Novanus spun round and decapitated the last warrior. He walked back to Seth, calmly picked up the reigns and walked on through the forest.
Ahead he could see the form of Jessie. She was kneeling on the floor over the form of…..of Admar. Novanus ran forward. He fell to his knees next to his old friend.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Admar wheezed. "I seem to have had a little accident." Admar laughed, more blood spilling from his mouth, and then a look of severe pain crossed his face. "Admar, Admar I'm here. It's alright, we'll get you back to the others. You'll be fine." "Don't fool yourself, my lord. I know how bad this injury is." "I can save you, Admar. Just a small amount of blood and you will be healed." Admar smiled at his lord.
"No, Novanus, I've had my time. I'm old and now I have to move on." "No, Admar, I won't let you!" Blood tears began to fall from Novanus' eyes. "You are mine; I decide when you can leave me." "You forget, my lord…" Admar's breathing was labored and his voice almost a whisper, "you set me free. Please, I ask you," Admar coughed more blood, "set me free again now." Novanus looked into the eyes of his old friend. He was tired, old, and now he wanted to leave. Who was Novanus to deny him his final request?
"Go my old, dear friend. Go in peace." Admar smiled once more. He raised his eyes to the sky.
Novanus gently closed his friend's eye lids. Blood tears fell freely from his own eyes. In rage he howled into the sky a cry of pure pain and suffering. He then picked up his dearest friend and walked into the forest. A few seconds later, Jessie followed, her head hung low with tears in her eyes also, her hand clasping the reigns of Seth's bridal.

Izael was standing on a platform above a whirling maelstrom of colors. Wherever he looked, he saw only an endless swirl of shifting mass that looked like clouds. Suddenly he sensed someone else was here too. Izael looked to see the Sarafan Lord stand in front of him. "Ah, my wayward son. I see you have learned parts of your true destiny. However, you do not know the whole truth. Return to the Keep and pledge to join me again, and thou shall hear...everything. These vampires are evil, and have used you as pawns from the beginning. Come, I will forgive you." "No. It is you who tries to use me as a pawn. Your kind tries to drive vampires and humans into war! I will never join you!" "My son, I see now they have clouded your mind with hollow promises. You seek to revive Kain, but know this: he was a cruel warlord that doomed this world to its corruption. He is not your savior. No...he is the one who caused this whole...war between our kind. I see from your eyes that you do not believe me. Well, ask your parasite friends, then. If they have the guts to answer you honestly..." Then a world of pain hit him, and Izael awoke from his dream. It was easier to breathe. He had been healed. Izael looked around. He was lying on a...he was riding in the middle of a battle. With a groan Izael started to mutter words of healing to ease his pain. He needed to stay awake long enough to protect himself.

Jessie wordlessly led Seth over to Abel's unconscious form. Aided by a small degree of telekinesis, Jessie lifted Abel up onto Seth's back, then continued leading Seth and following Novanus. Jessie couldn't believe what had just happened. It didn't seem real to her. Moments before the battle, she and Admar had been talking and it was like nothing bad could happen. But now,... Jessie wondered why Admar had chosen to "be free," but in truth Jessie understood the feeling perfectly.
Those Berathia, judging from their energy signatures, seemed to be sent by the Elder God. Why would he send them now when Jessie and her friends were still useful to fight the Nerayan? Had he discovered something that suddenly made Jessie obsolete? Jessie pondered this over, trying to make sense of it, as her body mechanically walked through the forest. There was something sinister here, lying under the surface of everything, and Jessie was determined to discover what it was.

The cave was dim but Kour was still able to see Orugarde and motioned him to take the right, he'd take the left. As they took a step closer, the creature stopped, recoiled its arms inward, and recited the sounds, "Ahma Hna Tah!" A force formed around the creature and with a burst of its arms outward, blew the two men off their feet, high into the air and onto the walls of the ante-chamber. The creature, barely keeping her balance, wobbled over to the two immobilized men, laughing her head off. "Oh, that was too easy!" She was barely able to eek out the words before she burst out laughing again as she looked at the two stuck on the wall, midway between the floor and ceiling. Kour squirmed in a futile effort to free himself, feeling very foolish at the manner in which they were incarcerated.
"Oh… by the way, the beauty of this spell is that the more you struggle, the tighter the hold gets! So be my guest! Squirm all you want! You make my job much easier that way. And besides, it will be a nice change to have fresh meat in my stew."

Abel began to stir, grimacing as he found himself laying length wise on the back of a horse, Jessie walking beside and what sounded like Novanus not too far ahead. Oh, what had he gotten these poor people into? He touched the already broken shaft that remained where it had been shot, sucking in his breath with a hiss and deciding that it was far too tender to remove just now. Perhaps they would do it when he slipped out of consciousness again; he was never one for pain. "I'm sorry, Jessie, Novanus," he said to her, trying not to take in such deep breaths to speak, "I didn't think He knew I had linked you two before." Jessie just waved her hand in a 'never mind' gesture. She knew who "He" was and she already had plenty of things to say about that squid, but she was in no mood to bad mouth just yet. "You couldn't have known..."
Abel lay his head back against the arched neck of the animal and closed his eyes. How was he going to explain what was going to come next, if anything came at all? However, Jessie probably knew, but it wasn't likely she remembered. As for Novanus and Gadorian? They had enough to deal with as it was. Letting out a short sigh, he let his body relax. He would think of something while he slept. It was more comforting there.

The group continued for awhile, deep into the forest, until they came to a cave. Novanus led them inside. They all set themselves at the mouth of the cave. Novanus waited just long enough to see them settled and walked deeper into the cave, carrying the body of his friend.