exsilium | [video]

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[video]

[ A beautiful elf maiden's face appears on the feed. She has a delicate appearance, but from all the grime, dirt and blood marring her features, it's obvious that she's far from defenseless. The video is shaky because the hand holding it is trembling in fear. She's wearing a firm, authoritative expression however -- the expression of a no-nonsense General. ]

My name is Laurana. We can exchange pleasantries when this place is safe.

I've noticed competent men and women took up arms to keep them off, but what about people that need help? Is there a closed, walled off space where non-combatants and children could be safe? I will volunteer to keep such a place together. All I ask is cooperation, especially from healers and people that know how to fight.

If there is one already, then I would like to help as much as I can. Another bow to the numbers helps.

[ When she's done, she gives a polite nod and the feed goes off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nah, meant it'll be oka—...all right!

[He's promptly drowned out by the dull roar of rushing air, which... doesn't last long. Kazu wasn't kidding when he said he'd be there in a sec. He's found her in less than a minute, though she may not notice him right-away with how fast he's going—barely a shimmer darting from roof to roof; he flickers into sight when he's about a block away, momentum curbed with a sharp kick that sends up sparks.

And then there's just some dopey kid in funny wheeled shoes and a terrible beanie waving at her, wide-eyed as he watches her in action.]

HEY! Laurana, right?

[Best give her a heads-up before he comes any closer!]

[It's about that time that Kang shows up as well, with a longsword he's acquired from the armory strapped to his belt on the right side. He's scanning the area carefully for any signs of undead when he sees Laurana up ahead and moves to join her. He uses his left hand, and it's apparent that it's not his dominant hand as he thrusts it at an animal; it's not as fast or as fluid as is typical for the skill level associated with draconians.

...that's a dragonlance. He hasn't seen one of those in decades.]

So that's the weapon you chose. It's fitting.

[He notices the human boy with the strange shoes, waiting for her reaction to see if he is friend or foe.]

[ She gives Kang a weak smile. She doesn't mention that she almost chose an elven bow, but refrained because it reminded her of her exile. ]

[ Laurana... hadn't expected the boy to arrive so fast, but she wasn't complaining. She nods at him. ]

I am Laurana. This is the Governor Kang. He's an ally.

Lead the way, my friend.

[He's gotten a glimpse of Kang while skimming Laurana's post, but it's nothing compared to seeing him in person. At her acknowledgement, he skates tentatively closer, gaze drifting up, up, and up Kang's height of seven feet tall to dart about his fangs and horns. Jesus. Between this and Laurana it's like he just walked into some fantasy novel where he's the NPC who dies in the prologue.]

Uh, yeah, that's... It'd kinda suck if he's not. Name's Kazu!

[Not 'my friend' or anything old-fashioned like that! He jerks a thumb in the general direction of the clinic, nodding at them both.]

We'll probably run into more of those things on the way. You guys ready?

[Kang looks amused, and nods at Kazu as he finishes off another animal, kicking the body out of the way.]

Well met.

[ Kazu, you're a darling young man, but please stop with the lingo. She spaces out to understand what he meant by "suck". She will assume he's intimidated by his presence. ]

[ Laurana prepares herself, adjusting her silver armor and holding onto her dragonlance tight. ]

Ready.

Okay, this way! Tell me if you need me to go slower.

[He tosses a nervous look around the area to be sure all of the infected are dead, then takes off at a decent run. If they prove to be faster than the average human he'll speed up accordingly.

Their way's clear for now, but the sound of screeching animals and unholy, barely human howls just around the corner signals trouble ahead.]

[Kang's never been a fast runner, but draconians in general are faster than humans, so he has no problem keeping up. Playing with his children has kept him in shape over the years.

That sound isn't good, and he mutters a curse in Nerakese.]

I've never liked undead.

[ Laurana runs like the average human, unfortunately. Between her long range weapon, delicate frame and metal plate, however, that was actually not bad. ]

[ She carefully surveys the place. Her elven eyes give her a wider, clearer scope than humans. She spots silhouettes up ahead, shuffling not walking. She gestures at the two to catch their attention. ]

Prepare yourselves for battle.

[―Shit. So much for getting through this without a fight. Detours, he supposes, are out of the question in case they end up leading the undead right to the clinic. He makes a little sound of distress, but sets his jaw and tugs the brim of his hat low, some heart taken in Laurana's steady warning: prepare for battle.]

Just like that, huh... I'm gonna try to distract them!

[Thirty feet, twenty-five, twenty—Kazu rockets ahead without warning, and suddenly there are twelve boys crashing into the first line of zombies. Some dissipate when attacked, only to reappear in another spot; others deal out heavy kicks that hurl several of the horde into their own kind. It's probably not enough to keep a zombie down, but with any luck, it'll create confusion and distract them long enough to give Laurana and Kang an advantage.

Once they're both within fighting range, Kazu will peel away to take out the undead animals straggling on the fringes of the fray, but not before leaving a word of warning:]

WATCH OUT, THESE ASSHOLES STINK.

[This is important.]

[Kang is grateful for the distraction, especially since he knows he's not fighting as well as he used to, but doesn't say anything, calmly dispatching a zombie that was once a deer before moving on to his next target. Kazu isn't kidding when he says they stink.]

You don't have to warn me about that.

[His snout wrinkles and he snorts.]

[ Laurana is all set jaw and determination, dispatching whatever she could with her dragonlance, never minding the smell and Kazu's odd abilities. ]

[ With her light feet and lance's graceful arcs, her fighting movements more resembles a careful choreography, rather than just brute strength. Her training, after all, was more appropriated for elven ceremonies than actual battle. ]

[ She thrusts downward, skewering both a maddened hare and squirrel, and trips a buck. Before she could get to stabbing it in the face, something latches onto her booted leg, trying to gnaw through the heavy plate. She tries to kick it off her with a scream. ]

[Kazu is doing an okay job of taking out the stragglers, but it's Kang and Laurana who are literally cutting down the horde's numbers. Perhaps he'd be more of a threat if these things could feel, but as it is, half the blows he lands just end in the damned things getting back up. He's snatched up a length of piping to use as a makeshift weapon when he hears Laurana screaming, and well, at least he's fast if nothing else. The thing—hard to tell what it used to be, ravaged as it is—gets sent flying an instant later, hit in the side of its head by one well-aimed swing.

Trying not to look at the dark smears on the end of the pipe, Kazu drags the back of his sleeve across his mouth as he stares hard at what's coming up behind the remaining animals: several humanoid shapes, none actually human.]

Bit late to be asking this, but uh... [ Swallow. ] We got a plan?

The second wave.

[Kang rolls his shoulders right after killing another animal, studying the situation. He clearly isn't bothered about killing zombies that were once people.]

Kazu, harass the edges and keep them from flanking us. General, shall we attack the vanguard?

[ It was a fine plan. But there must be an easier way... she is, after all, notorious for being resourceful. She glances at her generously wide, extravagant cape. ]

We can use my cape to tie them down when they move into a cluster. Kazu is fast enough.

...Do we have access to fire?

[ She nods at Kang. ]

But we need to take that down, first. Be careful out there, Kazu. You're not properly protected.

[Teamwork and knowing his part in a plan are things Kazu's used to. He looks between Kang and Laurana, sizing the length of the cape and nodding when addressed.]

Be fine s'long as they can't catch me—and I can do fire.

[He twists on the spot, a sharp turn that tears flames from the ground in a brief snarl. It's a trick he's been holding back in case it does them more harm than good, but if they've some way of containing the damage instead of leaving the zombies to stumble around ablaze, then that changes things.

Some faces in the advancing pack have gripped his attention, though. Not the grinning skulls of the Scourge but human features, many still contorted in silent screams; freshly turned. Kazu points uneasily at them.]

You sure we can't haul those guys to a healer?

[Kang gives Laurana a look when Kazu makes his statement about catching him, careful to do it when the human can't see, and nods.]

Good idea.

[The flames are impressive. He almost takes a step back from them before glancing at the zombies, frowning at the thought of the perfect magic spell to use.]

The priority at the moment is making sure those things don't get to the clinic, and don't infect us.

[ The original plan was to collect them. Set ablaze on a neat pile. ]

[ But Laurana considers what he says. Their faces do look like innocents, someone's friend or sibling. The thought makes her shudder. If they could be healed... ]

We can come back for those we can tie up, but... [ She looks terribly guilty for what she's about to say. ] Kang is right. If we cannot contain them properly, if they prove to be a threat... we would have to set them ablaze. Our priority first and foremost are the civilians at the clinic.

[ Laurana wards off some of the nearby zombies; not really killing them, just pushing them backwards with the hilt of her lance to bundle them together. ]

[ Satisfied with that, she rips her cape off and signals Kazu to move at the side of the group, ready to make an estimated toss of the other end of her cape when he gets there. ]

Help me tie them up when they're bundled up together, Governor.

...Yeah.

[Just one rough word dragged struggling from his throat, but he knows they're both right. The Scourge are better off destroyed; the rest so far gone they've most likely crossed the 24-hour deadline by now.

The pipe's tossed aside. He draws a steadying breath, feeling it weigh too heavily in his chest as he tries not to think about anything besides calculations of speed and heat. One last look to be sure they're ready and he's off, fast but keeping to a steady pace so she can better time her throw.]

Over here!

[Kang isn't too keen on the idea of not setting them on fire immediately, being of a mind that they should eliminate any threat immediately, but he has a feeling they won't go for it and he doesn't feel like wasting time and arguing over it. They at least have agreed to setting the undead on fire if they can't be contained. He nods, and adjusts his grip on his sword, helping to herd the undead into a group.]

[ Mind on the mission. Laurana's movements are swift, calculating. When Kazu is at a sufficient distance, Laurana sets aside her lance and tosses a part of her cape to him, holding the other end steady and dodging any attempts to attack her. ]

[It's a good throw; he snatches hold of the cape and in that same instant, whips his end into a red flourish catching as many of the zombies as possible. A straggler or two get bodily shoved into the cluster, momentum converted to force, but once that's done it's all he can do to keep holding the fort. Brute strength isn't Kazu's forte.]

[Out of the trio, Kang is the strongest, but not by much, and he's hampered by not being able to use his dominant hand and arm. He continues with the herding, though, cursing the times his shoves and nudges with the blade aren't very effective.]

At least they aren't very fast.

[ When they've been neatly collected, Laurana ties both ends of her cape to a clean, tight knot. Some of them are threatening to wiggle out but all the attempts were in vain... for now. ]

They're... not going to hold for very long. [ She admits softly. ] We need better rope.

[He's finally managed to knot his end thanks to Kang herding the zombies into a tighter group, but it's clear this is a very temporary solution. Those at the edges keep straining towards the promise of prey, while the ones caught in the middle have taken to clawing at the cape.]

I dunno if there's any lying around!

[To be found in time, anyway.]

[audio > perma-action] Awesome! o7

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