Kikuyu_Black_Paws

Kikuyu wrenched her katana from the necromancer's chest, her lips drawn in a snarl. She turned her head-- the motion seemed to take decades-- to look towards Degorram. The feral, twisted shape of rage that had transformed her twin's body was gone, leaving her pale. Ozy slowly settled himself on his knees, supporting Degorram's shoulders with both arms. He touched her face and brow gently, trying to illicit a response... There was none. Kikuyu felt her heart shift, very close to breaking in two. She had better not be dead! the ninja shrieked inside. She had better not! Kikuyu turned back to the necromancer, standing bent over. A steady glimmer of gold from Ozymandias' attack still shimmered on his body, and blood dripped from the heinous wounds in throat and chest. Kikuyu strode slowly up to him and slammed both fists on his shoulders. The necromancer fell to his knees, coughing. He looked up at her slowly, eyes glazed and staring at another world. Perhaps a glimmer of Kikuyu's shape penetrated the shifting world he beheld, where his tattered, patched soul was quickly being drawn. Her face contorting, Kikuyu touched her shoto and put both hands around her katana's hilt. She leveled it alongside what remained of his neck. The necromancer gave a gurgling chuckle. Kikuyu paused, eyes narrowing as she looked back at his face. He leered up at her, his mouth a black crescent of blood. "She's dead, she's dead, poor thing she's dead." Kikuyu steadied her grip, her heart missing another beat. "The last thing you'll hear are the bells on my blade," Kikuyu snarled, lifting her katana-- the bells chimed, loud in the sudden silence of the clearing. "The last thing you'll see is the darkness of the stars glaring down at you without warmth. Go back to Hell." She arched her arms, taking a sweeping slice. The necromancer smiled up at the sky and giggled again. "I am Hell." The sword connected with his neck and his head went flying. The body slumped down, motionless. The head hit the ground nearby with a sickening thud, rolling away into the forest. A crow appeared in the night and flapped down to the body. Kikuyu turned away, inhaling sharply through her nose. She opened her eyes, dropped her katana, and ran to Degorram. Nearby, Sir Ordolar was slowly picking himself up, moving towards Sir Walnut and Wyvern. The Almost-Dragon still had not moved. Ozymandias looked up solemnly as Kikuyu dropped to her knees beside him. "She has gone a far way," he whispered. Kikuyu touched Degorram's cheek. The bright bubble was dead. Degorram's skin was cold. By all appearances, she was... "Help her," Kikuyu whispered, fighting her tears. "Please."

Kikuyu plunged downward with all of her strength. The blade sheared into the Necromancer's chest, sliding through the gap between Degorram's outstretched arm and side. Black, acidic blood splashed onto her face. Ignoring the burning pain, Kikuyu jerked the blade downwards and shoved the glittering energy of the shield still around her into the sword's hilt. The power shot through the blade like an electric blast, knifing into the Necromancer's chest with an explosive, smoky crash. The Necromancer shook, his colorless eyes turning from Degorram to Kikuyu. They rested there for a moment before turning to Ozymandias, approaching at terrifying speed.

Kikuyu rushed the Necromancer. Ozymandias was a gold blur in the corner of her eye. They would converge at the same time. All three would then be able to attack simultaneously...it had better work... Kikuyu unsheathed her katana and slapped her palm against the blade. The sword rang sharply and the bells attached to the hilt chimed sweetly. Gripping the hilt in both hands, the ninja sprinted. Degorram's back grew larger; she saw the shifter moving aside, making room, her hand still on the monster's throat... Kikuyu lifted the sword above her head, screaming as she poured all of her strength into the descent of her blade.

Something flickered at the edge of Kikuyu's vision and she whirled, her katana slicing down to parry whatever undead attack it may be. Her eys widened as her attack went wide, allowing something large and shiny through her defenses... The shield, coated in a 'good-natured' magic, slid through the invisible shifter energy around her. The metal edge smashed into the side of Kikuyu's head, knocking her to one knee. Kikuyu held in several curses as the world lurched around her in a flurry of bright sparks and whirling shields. She struggled to her feet again and shook her head. "Thanks Hjolnai," she muttered, casting a not-so-unvenemous glare the knight's way, "but I already have one." The ninja did another double take as she stared at Sir Walnut battling the zombies. What had been a mere dozen of the vile fiends was now a tiny sea of body parts, bits of flesh, and decapitated torsos. Several arms and legs were inching their ways towards Sir Walnut and Sir Ordolar, as well as Wyvern's still unmoving body. Kikuyu snarled, glacing Ozymandias' way. The Elder seemed to be holding the Necromancer's attention...once Degorram was ready, the final attack would have to do it all: there would be no second chance. Kikuyu glanced up at Degorram. "Ready yet?" she screamed. Her sister turned white eyes towards the ground, a fiendish grin curling over her face. "I'll take that as a yes," Kikuyu muttered. The ninja sprinted towards Wyvern and kicked a squirming arm away. There was one last jar of pepper dust left. Kikuyu opened the jar and sprinkled the dust on Wyvern's nose. "Wakey wakey!" Kikuyu dropped the rest of the dust on the ground in front of the Elder's snout and made a break towards the Necromancer. Perhaps the Almost-Dragon's explosive sneeze would add to their attack... "NOW!" Kikuyu shrieked.

Many congratulations!!!!

Kikuyu leapt from tree to tree, taking a willing break from fighting. The feel of the wind in her hair was so refreshing, so relaxing. She half-closed her eyes as she took another leap... Her feet shot out from underneath her as her extra-cling ninja sandals slipped on something with a squelch. Kikuyu yelped and went flying into a clearing, landing in a large pile of something wet, squishy, and so foul-smelling...yes, it was somehow familiar...it had to be... Kikuyu stood up with a gasp for breath, covered from head to toe in green zombie ooze. Supressing a horrified shudder, Kikuyu tried to flick some of the slime from her hand. Her eyes roamed about the clearing, to fall, and remain, on an overalled Almost Dragon Elder... "You!" Kikuyu whispered vindictively. She took a threatening step forward, reaching into one of her pouches for something to inflict as much pain as possible in a short amount of time... Her hand found only slime-covered, completely ineffective throwing stars, their perfect aerodynamics thrown out the window. Kikuyu stared at the slime in horror, lifting her eyes again to Wyvern. The Almost Dragon shifted nervously-- all of his minions had disappeared. "Ooohhhh..." the ninja whispered. "You didn't..." The netting of her outfit hadn't protected her from the slime and she oozed uncomfortably with every step. Kikuyu advanced, her slime-lank hair giving her smeared face a distinctively "grudge"-ish look. She cracked her knuckles with a grin. "Well then, Wyvern," she said. "One for the camera, eh?"

Kikuyu raced behind Ozymandias, flipping as a glob of green fire exploded near her feet. The Elder swerved along with her, continually keeping his body between the Necromancer's magical attacks and Kikuyu's complete inability to fend them off. From behind him flew three kunai, curving around his body like no naturally thrown kunai should. The Necromancer snarled, throwing out his arm as if wearing a shield. The blades glanced off, spiraling wildly in several directions. Ozymandias filled his lungs, arching his back as he did so. Then, like a taut bow, he snapped forward. From his mouth shot a dozen golden arrows, all twisting in different directions so as to come at the Necromancer from front, sides, back. The Necromancer laughed, crouching down into a tight black ball. The arrows hit their mark with sickening thuds. Another green explosion rocked the ground from the side. Kikuyu leapt away, the sole of her sandal smoking. Ozymandias crouched behind a large bronze shield sprung from the air. Kikuyu glanced at the old Necromancer's shell, now resembling a great gold pincushion. The body melted and sagged, disappearing into the grasses with a fierce, acidic hissing. Kikuyu took a gamble-- running forward, she leapt onto Ozymandias' shoulders and vaulted over his head. The Necromancer grinned at her as she soared upwards, slicing down with her katana. The blade glanced off with a shower of sparks, sending Kikuyu flying forward. She twisted, flinging three paper cranes at the Necromancer's back. He turned; the cranes exploded in his face. Kikuyu landed on her knees and hands, sliding in the dew-wet grass. She looked up, a smile beginning on her face-- The Necromancer stood, blasting the smoke away from him with an irritated shriek. Black blobs stretched from his chest, broke away. In a moment four of them were flying at Kikuyu on webbed wings. Kikuyu yelped and dodged, jumping as high into the air as possible. She drew her feet up under her tightly, watching the first blob streak underneath her. The second scythed at her side. Kikuyu arched wildly on her descent to land on one foot, her other propelling her in a dipping circle-- the third blob narrowly missed her ducking shoulders. Kikuyu straightened, her hand gripping her katana tightly. The fourth blob zoomed into her sight from nowhere. Kikuyu was hurled backwards as it slammed into her face, membranous wings curling around her head. The glob covered her mouth, nose, and eyes fully. Kikuyu dropped her katana as she crashed into the ground, striking her head sharply on the earth. Her hands scrabbled at the goo preventing her from breathing or seeing. Stars popped in front of her eyes as her brain and lungs screamed for air. Dimly she heard someone screaming-- whether it was Dego or Ozy she couldn't tell. Strong hands gripped her chin, trying to pry the black goo away from her mouth. The bright stars in front of her eyes turned red. Faintness gripped the back of her head and her grip on the blob grew weaker. Wildly, without thinking, Kikuyu drew a kunai. With a wild flail she slashed it at her own face, cutting deeply into her ear and the blob. The blob trembled, its noiseless shriek vibrating through Kikuyu's body. She dropped the kunai and gripped the blob with both hands-- it turned ashy under her fingers and those of the hands helping her, tearing the tar away from her face. Kikuyu had never inhaled so quickly in her life. She could not get enough of the air as she coughed bits of black that had forced themselves into her mouth and lungs. A hand smacked her fiercely-- Kikuyu saw a flash of purple; the helping hand disappeared again, into the darkness to plow into a rotting wall of flesh. Nearby Ozymandias was standing inside a glittering orb of light, face to face with the Necromancer. Kikuyu blinked through a shifting tunnel at them and stumbled to her feet. What I wouldn't give for some magic right now, she thought angrily. Her teardrop tattoos would not glow again for several days. She felt naked and weak. Suddenly the necklace around her throat turned hot. Kikuyu gasped and yanked at it-- the twisted metal was glowing red and sparking. "Grip it in one of your hands!" Degorram's muffled, squeaky voice carried across the clearing. Kikuyu glanced at her twin. The mouse's eyes were wide and trusting. Kikuyu slapped her hands around the metal. Surprisingly, the red hot shape was cool and tingled on her skin, like mint in her mouth. A tiny shockwave burst through her and the air around her changed. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. As surely as the sparkling orb clung around Ozymandias, something that smelled distinctly shifter, distinctly Degorram, was balled around her. Kikuyu picked up her katana, the tunnel of exhaustion peeling back. The Necromancer's eyes slid towards her, his mouth curled into a snarl of rage. Ozymandias barked, his arm moving as the Necromancer's attention slid from him to the girl at the edge of the clearing.

Hmmmmm....*dreamy stare* It soothes...

I liked how the lines were spread out at the end, almost as if you were actually struggling against a straight jacket. Very nice, I liked this a lot! The "I do not feel that I am meant to be happy with myself" was especially...what's the word...well it was epecially!

Kikuyu twisted her hands, drawing out intricate symbols. Ignoring the Loremaster's uncomfortable proximity to her explosives, the ninja slammed both hands into the ground. He knows what he's doing, she thought grimly. Kikuyu glanced back up at the flailing skeleton, Ozymandias still clinging and climbing higher resolutely. His face and chest were eerily lit by the glowing fires of the creature's collage of souls. Sir Ordolar's armor groaned under the pressure of the monster's foot. A tiny crack could be seen forming on the breastplate. It was now or never. Standing back up, Kikuyu slid her feet apart for better balance. One hand she thrust out in front of her, palm up. The other she drew back, as if drawing a bow. She narrowed her eyes and sweat began to drip down the side of her face. Her hand, inching backwards, began to shake. Ozymandias' shout tore the clearing again. "Just do it!" With a scream as her muscles shrieked at the pressure, Kikuyu's arm shot forward, parallel to her other hand, palm down. Light burst from her fingers, reflecting in her wide open eyes. A tiny shiver ran across the grass. Suddenly the necklace of clay around the skeleton's head erupted. The explosion boiled above the treeline, a huge cloud of red fire and black smoke. The ground shook and the skeleton, as well as Ozymandias and Sir Ordolar, were consumed in a great black cloud. A second explosion rocked the clearing, knocking Kikuyu back against a tree. Kikuyu felt blood running down her face from a cut on her forehead, but she didn't register the pain. "OZY!" she screamed. "Ordolar!" The cloud boiled without response.

Kikuyu's head whipped around at Wyvern's yelp and she gasped, momentarily forgetting that she was flying through the air in mid-attack towards the skeleton. Time slowed: Wyvern's steady descent turned to a slow trickle; the skeleton's gaze traveled towards the Elder with a long pause between each reaction-- hate, surprise, and a terrible glee that flickered from the glittering eyes. Kikuyu did not think. She transfered her shoto to the fingers of her other hand, allowing the wrist brace to keep her katana steady. With her free hand the ninja reached into her belt and drew out a slip of paper. Pushing it in the direction opposite Wyvern, Kikuyu closed her eyes. "Ha!" The explosion sent the ninja shooting through the air like a rocket. She smashed into Wyvern, propelling him and herself into the ground several meters away from the skeleton. Wyvern wheezed, winded from the ninja's fall on his ribs. "Look, Kikuyu, I know you have feelings for me, but now's not the time..." he tried to push Kikuyu off of him. "Eh?" Kikuyu's eyes were closed. Her face and arms were scorched with soot from the explosion and her weapons were lying on the ground nearby. Kikuyu never, never dropped her katana. Sir Ordlar's sudden scream cut through the air. "The skull with the fiery eyes! Destroy it!" Kikuyu groaned and twitched, sitting up slowly. "In the list of things never to repeat," she muttered. "That's number one." She barked with surprise as she realized she wasn't holding her weapons. She snatched them from the ground and got to her feet, wiping her forehead and smearing blood from a small cut across her skin. She glanced at Wyvern beside her. "Where'd that umbrella go?" she said with a wry grin. Not waiting for an answer, Kikuyu sheathed her shoto and katana. Blades did not appear to be affecting the regrowing bones. The skull's face leered down at the darting knight, melted and charred from the previous... Explosion! Kikuyu stuffed both of her hands into a larger sack at her back. "Wyvern, guard my back for a second!" The ninja pulled a sticky grey glob of clay from the pouch. Quickly she molded it into a square. Her other hand yanked out a second glob, then a third, a fourth, until she had ten large squares of thick clay strung together by sharp wire. Kikuyu charged forward. Ozymandias was still clinging to the skeleton for all he was worth. "Ozy!" she yelled. "Try to get this around its neck!" With all of her might Kikuyu flung the string of explosive clay at the Elder, slamming her hands together in the proper sign. Please let this work!

Kikuyu gasped-- the sparkling tattoos sprouting from the teardrops on her cheekbones clutched her muscles, pumping fey power into her body. All of her exhaustion and pain from the previous few hours disappeared and she felt gripped by an inhuman power, a power she liked. Kikuyu gripped her katana tightly in one hand and dug her other hand into a pouch on her belt. She charged the monster, dodging flying pieces of bone from Sir Ordlar's frantic attack. Kikuyu flew around the orcish knight, jumping off of the last flying piece of bone to gain momentum. The monster's face appeared in her line of sight and the ninja withdrew her hand from the pouch, throwing the contents with all of her might in the creatures face. She backpedaled frantically, turning over herself to land on her feet. The creature gave a whooping shriek as explosives charred and melted the bone of its skull. Its burning eyes turned bloody and the spinal cord it wielded slammed into the ground. Every member of the search party was lifted off the ground as the earth heaved. The point of contact split apart, shards of rock splintering upwards with a scream that tore trees from roots. Kikuyu landed hard on her feet, the jolt of her descent sharp in her ankles. The ninja reached into another pocket, mind ticking frantically. Sir Ordlar was still at it, his blade shearing off as much bone as the monster was regrowing, tenaciously fending off the giant whip, being tumbled backwards only to charge forward again. Kikuyu did not see where Sir Walnut or Wyvern had gone; her eyes were fixed on the skeleton. "Bakemono!" she snarled. Sheathing her katana, she plunged both hands into two parallel pockets and flung a series of kunai and throwing stars at the creature with a fierce whistling noise. The monster turned its head at the last moment as the small, sharp weapons embedded themselves into bone. One of the stars hit the creature in the eye. Kikuyu was already running at the monster again, katana and shoto in hand. The ninja gripped her katana close to the hilt, slipping the katana's blade into a brace on her wrist that allowed her to carry it one handed. Yet again Sir Ordlar provided a flying piece of debris for the ninja to leap from. It propelled her high into the air, above the skeleton's head. It turned its red gaze, one of its eyes a sickly green color, to follow her ascent, hate written across its charred, melted skull. Kikuyu raised her katana overhead, her shoto guarding her beneath. She opened her mouth in a snarl, blade whistling down. It was then that Ozymandias said his word. "wqnxw."

Kikuyu ran quickly. It felt good to run. The rain had subsided to a noisy pattering in the canopy of trees above. The moon shone once again, sliding liquidly along wet leaves and stalks of grass. An hour previous the sky had flared green and the ground had shook. Fey magic pulsed through the ground, zipping up into Kikuyu's body and making her yelp. At that instant, everything with life glittered as many shining jewels in greens and golds. Ozymandias, a bright gold king carved from bronze and onyx, smiled as the light sharpened the sky. His eyes, at that moment, had been very far away. Now, reduced back to night and rain, the eerie, far off moans of ghouls made the hairs on Kikuyu's neck tingle. She stared before her with sharp purpose, intense and furious. If she had ever had a breaking point, she was getting very close. The silent movements of her companions were comforting in her ears. Wyvern, swift, his scales hissing against the wet, accompanied every now and then by a quietly muffled curse at the moisture; Sir Walnut, a purple haze that moved in leaps and bounds; Sir Ordlar, moving with surprising speed and stealth for the apparent weight of his armor, murmuring a canto to his diety; and Ozymandias, lithe and silent. Even when she concentrated Kikuyu could not hear a sound from his feet. Suddenly the ninja stopped short. The others paused, faltered behind her as she stared at the ground. She cocked her head to one side. The bushes in front of them exploded upwards. Kikuyu was frozen to the ground in fear as she stared up, up, up... Bones snapped as the lack of cartilage caused joints to grind together. The inhuman, long dead monster soared over seven feet in height, leering down at them with a wide grin of many sets of teeth. At its chest, a tiny ball of green flame burned. Its eyes centered on Kikuyu, and all the ninja could hear was screaming, screaming... Wyvern stumbled up next to Kikuyu and grabbed her arm, breaking the creature's hold on her. The ninja gasped and reeled backwards with the Elder, drawing her katana. Her greatest weapon felt so small in her equally small hand. The creature planted its feet wide, digging up great furrows in the ground with its sharp feet. The leering mouth of its skull seemed to stretch even wider as it spread its arms wide in a ready embrace, like a parent welcoming home its children. Around its shoulders, a dark mantle of shadows blotted out the stars and the magical glimmer that still stained the leaves. The stench of the thing was putrid. As it took a wide step forward, Kikuyu's eyes were drawn to the grasses under its feet. Every green thing was turning grey and brown, falling, dying. The creature reached over its shoulder and grasped something on its back. With a great heave it yanked up and over, pulling a great whip of sharp bones and joints into play: its own spinal column. Kikuyu pulled Dego's necklace from her pocket and looped it around her neck. She then pressed two fingers to the teardrop tattoos under her eyes. "Oasis aid us," she muttered. "We're going to need it." The tattoos flared bright blue and sprouted glowing vines that shot and curled all over the ninja's body, a sparkling tattoo of woadish design that gripped her muscles. "Hey skull-face!" she shrieked. "This is going to be fun!"

Kikuyu, thoroughly miffed at being now soaking wet, strode into the clearing towards Sir Ordolar and Sir Walnut. Ozymandias was a golden shimmer in the downpour, bronze and glittery. The orc knight's armor made musical pings as the rain hit it, and Sir Walnut was brushing rain from his purple suit with small tut tuts. "We need to move on!" she yelled. The hissing of the rain smacking a hundred-thousand leaves at once was surprisingly loud, and the wind was thrashing with more frenzy than ever. "If we take too long trying to kill every zombie and ghoul in the forest, we'll never reach Dego!" Beside her Wyvern was performing a remarkable dance as he tried to dodge as many raindrops as possible. Kikuyu wouldn't have been surprised if the Almost-Dragon had pulled some Almost-Dragonic-Collapsible-Umbrella-Sword ™ from his pouch of weaponry. The tiny bubble of light at her throat hissed hotly and the ninja gripped her katana. "Moreover, there was a Kiln following us. The Necromancer knows we're here, Oasis curse him, but there's no helping that now. We just have to find him as quickly as possible and attack him when he least expects it."

Kikuyu faltered in her step, her katana coming to a direct halt. The eyes ahead of her halted as well, turning back questioningly, wondering why its follower had suddenly stopped. Kikuyu glanced behind her-- the sounds of the others had faded quickly, now were almost covered up by the wind entirely. Kikuyu turned back with a final, disgusted glance at the Kiln. "Stupid, stupid, stupid...don't get yourself carried away." Kikuyu sheathed her katana with a snap and strode back into the slimey clearing, mowed down by fighting ghouls, zombies, vampiric-nightmares, and the small pennite group. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. A hush fell around her, as if only for her ears, and Kikuyu perked up. The wind suddenly sounded hyper-detailed in her ears, and the outlines of bark and leaves were sharpened past usual clarity. The stars glittered and the ninja could almost smell their burning gasses. She turned her head. Her eyes rested on the black-tipped face of a fox, staring solemnly at her. Tiny black-stained paws gripped the earth as the fox shivered, watching the ninja and the other fighters plunging wildly past, almost as if part of another, more violent world. Kikuyu's mouth opened breathlessly. "Dego..." The fox disappeared. Kikuyu inhaled sharply and looked back at the sky. "Well then," she said with a feral grin..."Thank you."

Kikuyu leaned heavily against a tree, allowing the cool wind and bark to soothe her shoulder. The blood pounded heavily in both arm and head and she breathed deeply, eyes half-closed. Wyvern hovered shadily nearby, and out among the trees the orc-knight and Sir Walnut, as well as Ozymandias, were taking care of ghouls and the newest slime-esque foe. They were tiny sparks of fey light at the back of her mind, indistinct under the scarlet, pounding waves of pain. Degorram's bubble still vibrated strongly in her chest. It was a comfort...so warm... Something bright momentarily blinded the ninja and she opened her eyes. Two glowing orbs stared at her avidly, unblinking. There was no body...only the bright staring lights... Kikuyu gasped and slashed out with a short dagger. The eyes blinked and floated lazily away, staring at her almost ruefully. They turned inward and disappeared, a tiny sparkle that faded away. "No!" Kikuyu growled. She darted after the Kiln, throwing every star that came to hand. The faceless eyes turned back, a couple hundred feet away, staring almost gloatingly back at her. I'm going to tell him everything, they seemed to say. So much for your surprise attack now. Your sister will be dead before you reach her. "Not so fast," she hissed. Her katana slid noiselessly from her sheathe, tiny chimes tinkling on the hilt. It was time to get serious.

Kikuyu opened her eyes. Pain lanced through her shoulder, and in less than a moment she had flipped away onto a branch nearby. She didn't bother to double take the situation (branch...tree?!) but placed three kuunai held in her one working hand against the throat of the truly disgusting... "Oh," she said calmly. Hjolnai blinked at her as she withdrew her weapons. "Not a ghoul." "Please sit still," the orc-knight insisted. "You are injured, and..." Kikuyu jumped from the branches, landing in a crouch that padded her fall. "Not badly, stupid," she snarled. "Don't play around." She blinked as the world swam crazily around her, not noticing that the orc-knight had already departed in another direction. Holding her left arm to her body, Kikuyu kicked a ghoul in the face. The neck snapped and the head rolled back, but the body flushed forward. Kikuyu stepped aside a little awkwardly, biting her lip as the heavy corpse knocked against her arm. "Wyvern, some assistance!" The Almost-Dragon peeked out from the bushes, his hands clasped around a bottle of peppers. "What?" he shrilled. Kikuyu jumped over to him and turned her left arm towards the Elder. "Shove my arm back in." "WHAT?" Kikuyu outstretched her arm. "Shoulder dislocated-- shove it back in for me!" The Almost-Dragon gripped her elbow, stammering. "I...what iss thissss..." A ghoul smashed into Kikuyu from behind, shoving her into the Almost-Dragon, still clutching her elbow. Something clicked and Kikuyu stabbed at the ghoul on top of her, snarling furiously. "Thanks Wyv!" she shouted, rotating her shoulder. It clicked eerily with each pass, but now she could use her arm. Kikuyu pushed the discarded pepper can back into the Elder's grasp. "Sorry. Hey, Ozy, good to see you." The other Elder cast her a brief glance before slicing a particularly juicy ghoul into two new pieces. "A pleasant night, isn't it?" Kikuyu stayed near Wyvern, placing a hand on her as yet unsheathed katana. "Yes, it is." Light flared under her collar bone and the ninja turned inwards. "She's close," she muttered. "Dego?" Wyvern queried, scratching his nose. Kikuyu glanced nervously at the pepper can and tightened her grip on Dego's necklace in her pocket. "Yeah. Very close."

Thanks Loki. That's an interesting concept..I didn't think about the abrupt. I thought more of a hiss, but the stop kind of fits the blue better.

Now would have been a good time for a warrior to enter with a blood-curdling screech to slam the ghouls off the spear and free things up for better movement. Unfortunately, there were no blood-curdling screeches or bellows of any sort. Instead, something very small and black darted from the trees, followed by something purple, and then followed by something much like a juggernaut. Ozymandias recognized the tiny black movements that were Kikuyu's attacks-- unseen to most everyone, Ozymandias had once caught Kikuyu by the legs when she was sneaking past his window. As he impaled and decapitated the ghouls around him, Ozymandias took in the other attackers. The one in purple was lashing about like a wild thing, very quickly. The juggernaut merely slammed a truly ferocious hatchet into any ghoul close enough. There was something coming through the trees...something scaly...was that-- Wyvern!? A faint yell of surprise turned Ozymandias' head. Kikuyu had been grabbed from behind, a ghoul's leering face turning on a broken neck towards her cheek. Several ghouls had her by each of her limbs, pulling her in every direction at once. The ninja's face was growing whiter. Something snapped like a thick branch being stepped upon and she screamed, her cheeks turning slightly green. Ozymandias charged forward, face pale with rage, his spear humming.

Kikuyu was lunging towards Wyvern, a hand outstretched to grab the tail of the vampire, when a small-ish red bullet shot from the foliage, teeth snapping. She yanked her hand back with a short gasp as the red creature- fox? wolf?- snatched at the vampire with its teeth. A small purple eye-patch covered its left socket, and a very purple bag hung swinging around its neck. "In all the seven Oasis Oceans..." Kikuyu breathed. She sniffed, shifting her olfactory system using her fey to that of a fox. The sharp odor of the vampire, her companions, were all overwhelmed by this new...whatever it was. Magic stung her nose and she sneezed uncontrollably. "Quiero!" she snapped angrily, and stepped back to watch the duel with watering eyes.

Kikuyu stared at the orc-knight as he thundered into the woods and felt a blood vessel somewhere in her forehead throb. She could not directly explain the expression on her face, but Wyvern patted her shoulder consolingly and gingerly as if she were too hot to touch. "For Dego," the ninja gritted. "We need as much help as we can for Dego...maybe if I just punch him once or twice..." "Now now," Wyvern said smugly. "It'sssss actually your fault he'ssss with ussss. I tried to create a diverssssion ya ssee." Kikuyu rubbed a hand over her face and started off into the woods behind the orc. Surprisingly, the noise from his direction had immediately silenced and only by quickening her pace and catching view of his armor through the leaves did she notice his presence at all. "At least he knows what he's doing," Kikuyu muttered. "No one tells me to 'come along'..." The orc had stopped and was looking back at them. "What is this? Surely not one of the zombie's affects." He held something bright in his hands. Kikuyu snatched it away and her breathing stopped. It was a necklace of black string, attached to which was a silver pendant of swirls. The ninja gripped it so tightly that one of the sharper spirals dug into her palm and a drop of blood fell to the floor. "This is Dego's," Kikuyu whispered. "For her to lose this..." "Sssshe had to have been preoccupied with ssssomething elssse..." Wyvern said darkly. Something akin to anger flashed behind the Almost-Dragon's eyes and Kikuyu tucked the necklace into her shirt. She twirled a throwing star on one of her fingers and lengthened her pace until she was jogging through the trees. Wyvern and the orc fanned out a few paces to the left and right of her. Even if the wind had not been jostling through the forest, they would not have made a noise to an onlooker.

Wyvern stared at the dark door with roses engraved along the edges. A couple of throwing-knives had been embedded along the doorframe, glinting sharply in the dusky light. The Almost-Dragonic Elder adjusted his bandolier of various Almost-Dragonic ™ weapons and cans of pepper, bright red against his scales. With a hesitant claw he knocked on the door. There was no answer. Wyvern frowned and pushed on the wood-- the door swung open. Gulping slightly and putting a hand on one of the pepper-cans, the Elder inched forward into the room. Everything was dark. The wardrobe looked like it had exploded, clothes half stuffed into a compact waist-sack and strewn across the floor. More weapons were lying on the bed, embedded in the wall, hanging from hooks on the ceiling. Wyvern sorted through the clothing, vaguely looking for any signs of a struggle. He blushed furiously as a lacy black ninja bra appeared in his hands and swallowed hard. A faint light spilled across the floor coming from the kitchen. A shadow moved across it, accompanied by clamping, slamming, and other strange noises. Wyvern moved closer, his pepper-can held ready. Kikuyu sat cross-legged in front of the fridge, boxes of takeout, pizza, and other leftovers scattered and empty around her. Currently she was using chopsticks to eat an enormous chocolate cake, on which were the bright green remains of icing-ed letters reading "KikuDego Day". "Kikuyu?" Wyvern gulped, lowering his can. The ninja looked guiltily up at him, her chopsticks in her mouth. Surprisingly, there was not a speck of food on her face despite the obvious erruption of snacks which had ensued. She swallowed hastily and looked away. "Sorry," she said. "When I get upset I eat." Her eyes travelled to the bra in his hands and her eyebrows went up. Wyvern looked down at the object of her interest and hiccupped. "Oh!" The bra went flying somewhere near the coffee machine in his start and the Almost-Dragon almost launched the pepper as well, but managed to somehow stop the escape of deadly spices. "I'm here to...erm...it'sssssss time to go. You know, for Dego." Kikuyu stood up slowly and dusted herself off. "I know. I'll finish packing." The ninja swept into the previous room and finished stuffing clothes into the sack. It was surprislingly small and light for holding so much, and Kikuyu buckled it to her hips with ease. She picked up over half of the weapons lying on the ground and buckled them or tucked them or snuck them here, there, and everywhere. Finally she turned to Wyvern. "I'm ready." * * * * Kikuyu and Wyvern stood at the edge of the Keep, eyes fixed on the forest. The night had fallen quickly and the trees shuddered in the night wind. Flashes of lightning from a storm to the east lit the branches and leaves of the plants. The wind moaned quietly, hissing through foliage seen and unseen. "How fassssst sssshould we go; how long can Dego hold out?" Kikuyu did not take her eyes from the forest. "Dego is strong. Back before the treehouse, she would participate in weight-lifting competitions just for amusement." Wyvern pictured several men rippling and bulging with muscles straining and lifting huge weights. Suddenly an ethereal, out of place Degorram appeared, skinny and small next to the weight-lifters. They laughed at her but the shifter lifted the weights in one hand and tossed them into the air. She had walked out of the scene before they landed again. The Almost-Dragon swallowed again and blinked. "Sssso no hurry on that account." Kikuyu turned to Wyvern. "No. But we should hurry just so we can kill that Necromancer. We'll--" The sound of hooves on the road made both the ninja and the Almost-Dragon hunch down, eyes fixed towards the noise. A glint of armor and the rider appeared out of the shadows, a massive Orc knight on charger. Kikuyu and Wyvern both stood. "Let's go before he passes," Kikuyu hissed. She grabbed Wyvern's wrist and yanked him across the road into the trees, disappearing immediatley into the bushes. The wind howled around the moon, but the trees did not sigh.

Blue is a color: Lurking around corners, Under doors and rooftops— Even to the point of silence.......

Kikuyu closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath, calming herself. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear," the ninja whispered, opening her eyes again to look at Tzimfemme. "Whose twin is this again? And believe me, there are things about Dego that none of you know-- things that would make your skin crawl." Kikuyu felt the nervous shifting around her but did not take her eyes from the one in front of her. "When I said 'break', I meant 'break'. But perhaps not in the way you mean. Dego has a...darker side, like all shifters. As you might remember with the stealth sprites, it wasn't always fun around her. And that was her sweet side. When she needs extra help, as I'm thinking she might now, she'll go to her other side. But the problem is after she's done with the necromancer, considering we don't all die...she won't revert back. Her sweet side is not powerful enough to take control. She, or her darker side, will need to be broken to let the nice Dego we all know and love take control again." Kikuyu ran a hand through her hair and trembled. "They've stopped now," she whispered. "Either she's beaten them off of she's unconscious." The ninja looked over at Wyvern and glanced at her trembling hand, slightly slicked with blood where she had dug her nails into her arm. "I hope that Reply Raven gets back quickly."

Kikuyu stared at the bedraggled girl before her, her emotions roiling. Something like anger and jealousy rose to the top first-- she had seen Degorram when her own twin could not?-- but she ground it down with her teeth. Don't find an outlet for you frustration that doesn't deserve it, she muttered inwardly. Kikuyu took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her wet and now equally wild hair. "A Dreamer you say?" "Yes," Jolinar said a little nervously. The expression on the ninja's face was...unreadable at best. "How close do you have to be?" Kikuyu turned away and looked out the window again, only this time, she saw the outside world instead of staring through it. She reached up to touch the glass, a twisted smile slipping to her lips. "We've always been together," she whispered. "When we were little, we depended on each other; not just for comfort or understanding, but for our very lives. It hasn't always been easy." Kikuyu turned, the twisted smile still on her lips. "She's always rescued me." The ninja's eyes slid over the people surrounding her again and her grin grew. "This time I suppose it's my turn to rescue her." Her eyes snapped over to Jolinar. "How close?" she reiterated. "That is the interesting question isn't it? Good thing for us then..." She drew one of her throwing stars and twirled it on a finger. "Just close enough. Do you know what direction they're heading?" Jolinar half closed her eyes, remembering. The sun had been...hitting the tree-line in a golden and red glow when the shifter girl had disappeared among the trees. "West. Into the forest." Kikuyu pocketed her star. "Alright. I'm going after her--" Kikuyu dropped to the ground with a cry, as if struck, clutching her stomach. The crowd erupted around her. Hands were yanking her to her feet, stretching her out on a couch. The ninja yelled again and clutched her arm. She pushed the hands gripping her away and sat up, her eyes wild with rage. "They're hurting her," she gasped. "Who issss?" A clattering of feet brought the group to dead silence, interrupted only by broken cries from Kikuyu. "They're coming!" One of the Elders jumped forward. "Who?" "It's a cloud! Rising from the west. It's full of lights, like eyes." Wyvern's scales lost their color and every gaze shifted to Kikuyu. The ninja's eyes were closed and she was panting. "War is here," she muttered. With a groan she sat up. "Looks like Degorram's not the only one who needs rescuing." Wyvern twitched, his face developing a very uncharacteristic scowl. "Call a meeting of the Elderssss," he hissed. "Thisss isss the point where it ssstartsss to go fassst!"