Closed There Is No Escape From Death

[Nivel]

81st of Day Winter, 515 AV

Once Sayana gained the courage to enter the door, she would notice the stark contrast right away. The air was dense with smoke, the bitter taste of blood, and a chorus of screams that surrounded her. One by one her group of Zith came through the door to see and feel the same horrors she saw. At the moment only the Zith were daring or possibly stupid enough to go through the ominous door, so only they could witness the cracked mirror city behind it.
Sayana was in a group of about twenty or so Zith but collectively there was hundreds of the winged creatures that went through. They all stared in awe at the foreign landscape and many were completely speechless, though none tried to escape their fate.

They were barely able to contemplate their predicament before they were presented with a choice to ether go with the snake and fight or go with the Seamstress and help in other ways. The sounds of chaos in the back ground were momentarily drowned out by the sound of low growls and screeches as the many Zith conversed with each other. There was a touch of hesitation amongst Sayana's pack since they had no telling what dangers they would be facing. they all seemed to collectively look to their leader Malice for guidance, who with a low grunt instructed them all to fight.

the Serpent waited for a few moments before heading through the blood soaked ruins Of Alvadas with an army of Zith behind him. Gutted carcasses and rubble made the streets un recognizable. Most of the bodies they encountered seemed to have been torn to pieces, but with closer inspection one would see few noticeable teeth marks. The deaths were not ones of necessity but ones committed by a strong monster who did so out of rage and mindless blood lust. The only signs of life seemed to be small crabs that occasionally scurried across their path in small herds. Considering the nature of Alvadas, the appearance of crabs wasn’t really that odd. It did however completely contrast with the grotesque and desolate look from everything else in the landscape. The Serpant stopped and told them to continue going straight until they met the evil they were meant to face.

As Army continued down the path outlined by the snake, they headed closer and closer to a thick fog that blanketed the end of the street. The outlines of humanoids became more visible with every wing flap or step until they were practically upon them. At first the mysterious people seemed to be sleeping standing up, with their heads hanging low in exhaustion. That was until the noise of the Ziths arrival roused their attention and then a bloody scream erupted that quickly echoed as more of them heard it. A stampede of horrifying creatures came scrambling out of the fog in blind rage. Most of them looked like old corpses with their flesh barely hanging onto their putrid bodies while others were more unique. One had a cage of bones covering his head, one undead Akvatari who was remarkably still able to fly, was vomiting maggots and black butterflies as he soared towards the Malice's group of Zith with blood welling up in his eyes. Just after the first wave of a hundred or so undead ran towards them a large swarm of pale and sickly crabs scurried along the ground like spiders in persuit of prey.

[Sayana]

“There’s a door…” Whispers ran rampant when the door appeared in the middle of the uniform streetscape of Alvadas. Even the zith who usually spent the days asleep, were amidst the first to be inspecting it and trying to discover what it was, and what it was for. Their curiosity seemed to overcome their nocturnal preferences. Sayana arrived slightly bleary eyed amongst some of the zith of Malice’s colony.

The door stood on its own with no apparent support. Upon the face of the door was a triangular symbol, almost seeming to blur and change colour the longer one looked at it. Sayana couldn’t help but feel drawn to the symbol despite its strange intensity. Subconsciously she moved a hand to her chest where thin embroidered thread marked her skin. Symbols could have powerful meanings.

“Those who go through, don’t come back. And you need a weapon.” Someone announced, pointing to the writing on the door. He seemed to be one of the first to have investigated the door and now took on the role of advising others.

Was it a trap? An escape? Sayana looked around seeing a mixture of fear, curiosity, and courage amongst the zith and the Alvads. There were dangers, the illusions were breaking. Only days before, Sayana had glimpsed what lay ‘beyond’. If she went through, would Nephti be safe? Or was she abandoning the girl by going through an unknown escape route? Or worse, a trap. Several zith were curiously inspecting the door, clawing at it and swinging it open and shut.

The triangle upon the door drew her eye once more and she felt a surge of curiosity wondering what lay beyond. “I will go.” Sayana spoke with conviction, even before she had fully internalized it. There was something out there, something that needed to be done and something that called to her. “I will not be a prisoner of monotony. I will find out what lies beyond. And meet it the best I can.” She drew four daggers in her highs and mids, though the illusion made them appear to be held in only her two hands. “Who will join me into the unknown?”

There were stirrings amongst the zith, then several voices of assent. However another voice rose above the others. “No, I will not flee to my death.” Suddenly there were waves of uncertainty. Sayana could not let the others waver and be disunited. “As one we are strong, but if you choose to fly your own path, you are weak and an easy picking. Come with me and we’ll face whatever lies beyond together… Then we’ll rip it to shreds.”

Appealing to their more bestial nature was more rewarding than she had intended, and one of the younger ones took off through the open door in response. It was time to go. She had her weapons at hand, a few pockets with basic medicines and bandages, and her climbing resin along with leather gloves should she find herself in a tight spot. Nephti would have to fend for herself with a single protection Sayana had managed to provide for her.

Giving a loud shriek to the skies, Sayana raised her blades in the air and ran through the open door.

---

The scene that awaited her was a darkened version of Alvadas. Smoke made the air hazy and the smell of blood was sharp. Clashes, screams, it was a battlefield. At first she was alone, or at least alone with dead bodies here and there. Then she started spotting more zith. None seemed to appear precisely where she had landed but most of the members of the colony were close enough. This was the reason for needing a weapon and she was very glad that she had what she brought.

Words rang out through the chaos. To fight or to help tend the wounded. Sayana visible recoiled when she caught sight of the Seamstress and was already dashing towards where the Serpent beckoned them. “Let’s get some scouts up in the sky,” she called out to her group. “We need at least two so you can watch each other’s backs. Report what’s going on and whether there is something big coming our way that we can’t see.”

She had to run to keep pace with the colony, as many of them were half flying half running. She should have been scared but the clash of metal and the tang of blood was exhilarating. She ran with fresh energy, pounding upon the cobbled streets, her eyes flitting this way and that taking in the gory landscape. Strange crabs seemed to infest the city streets and occasionally she had to leap over them as they scurried about like rats.

Then from the foggy darkness they came. Sickly corpse-like beings charging in a fury of countless numbers. “Form up tight! Don’t let them get behind our backs!” Was all she could shout before they were upon her. Her daggers whipped left and right plunging into rotting flesh. The smell. The smell was almost unbearable as they surged around her. Her high hands were most active while her mids stood guard protectively with crossed blades. Whenever an undead arm came too close, her mids struck out. Some hideous thing struck dove down from above and she only just managed to dodge it by ducking down and raising her high hand to slash at its legs or tail or something. It was a sea of chaos and despite attempting to organize the zith, there was very little sense of unity as many were fighting separate skirmishes of their own.

A gruesome bloody eyeball appeared right before her face and she slashed across at the corresponding neck of the intruder. The blade went almost all the way through, but the head hung haphazardly to the side as she wrenched her dagger out. That was the problem with daggers. They were such an intimate weapon that now on the battlefield made her just that much closer to her enemies.

Receipt4 daggers (2GM each), 6 throwing daggers (1GM each) = 14 GM

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Nivel]

“Me and Poison volunteer to fly ahead.” Venom boldly stated at the expense of her less than eager twin who visibly winced when he heard his name. He didn’t protest the nomination however and instead took a moment to coat his claws in a brownish green fluid before flying after his sister. They were both in sight as The Serpent led them through the chaotic rubble but flew out of sight into the foggy abyss before the real fight erupted moments after.

Upon hearing Sayana’s orders, the Zith shifted close into a blockade of hairy bodies and readied their claws and primitive weapons for the upcoming onslaught. As soon as the abominations clashed in a great surge of violence, all hai broke loose and any sense of order was lost.

The Akavatari made it’s first strike at Sayana by sweeping down like an eagle on the hunt for mice. It grabbed at the former dancer turned warrior with its bony hands but missed, Sayana how ever didn’t. The dagger tore into its rotten fur tail, causing centipedes and worms covered in a heavy dose of black blood to shower down from the sky. Rend flew up to meet the injured creatures and slashed at its abdomen and it’s neck, it came crashing down a few feet in front of Sayana and burst into a pile of insects that scurried along the floor. Sayana barely had time to deal with the putrid insects before another creatures came to meet her blade.

Only seconds after she slipped the dagger from the creatures bloody throat, had one leapt down from some nearby rubble and ran towards her without abandon. It’s jaw was ripped off but grey octopus tentacles flailed from its open maw. Instead of a scream it gurgled and slurped as it threw its bloated pale green skinned arms at her. The Tenticles would make there way for her face if she wasn’t quick to evade it’s grasp.

Just behind the tentacle mouth was an Isur male with sunken skin that perfectly revealed it’s unique bone structure. It lowered its head and charged aimlessly in Sayana’s direction with a deep bloody roar. It looked ready to pummel the multi armed women to death If Sayana didn’t get out of it’s way quickly. OocSorry for the lateness and the shortness

[Sayana]

The rain of insects and black blood showered upon Sayana and she ducked and rolled out of the way before the undead akvatari body came crashing down. The smell. The chaos. Even as the insects writhed over her skin, she couldn’t stop to think because another creature was charging at her with tentacles spewing out of its mouth. She thrust her dagger hard into its stomach with her right hand and she staggered back with the impact as it impaled itself on the blade. But by then the tentacles were already inches from her face. Despite using her left high to swipe at the gruesome things, one or two of them latched onto her face before she could cut them away.

The remaining pieces of tentacles sucked at her face like leeches and she tried to use her low hands to tear them off. There was a flutter of darkness as her illusioned wings moved about with the desperate attempts with her low hands and a tick later they opened up just in time for her to see the undead isur charging for her. Sayana leaped, diving to one side but not before the isur managed to bash its head into one of her arms, spinning her as she fell through the air. Cuts littered her legs even as she attempted to break her fall upon the cobblestones and for a tick or two she was dazed due to the impact.

“Pull back! Take flight!” She called out through the fray.

She couldn’t quite tell how the other zith were faring compared to her but they needed to take stock of the situation rather than just blindly attempting to hold back the hordes. The undead seemed unrelenting and she needed to keep the colony alive long enough to last another onslaught.

“Take flight! To the rooftops!”

It was easier done by the zith than herself, but she knew that it was in their wings that the true strength of the zith was. Sayana scrambled to her feet, feeling the burn of cuts upon her legs, and saw that the isur was already preparing for another charge. Wildly she looked around for a means of escape. She spotted a tavern sign that was not too high up and more importantly it was hung from a solid metal bar. She’d have to trust her luck to reach it. Another undead monster clawed at her face and she made a quick slash to its arm while ducking away.

Some zith seemed to be heeding her orders but there was one that looked surrounded and soon to be overwhelmed. Blood spattered its black wings and there was a nasty gash on one of them. For a moment her heart clenched. It couldn’t fly to safety. But in that same tick she knew that if she tried to send others to help it, she would be putting the lives of the other zith in just as much peril.

Sayana made a sprint towards the hanging sign and leapt high into the air, her high hands catching the metal bar and just managing to avoid slamming her face into the sign. She swung for a moment and felt a scratch down her leg from below before she hauled herself up onto the bar. She didn’t look back at that zith. It was gone, lost. She had made her choice.

Her heart was pounding with the exertion and her leg stung from the long but shallow scratch. She produced some climbing resin from a pocket in her vest and donned two leather gloves to assist her in climbing the remaining portion to the rooftop. There was a window ledge not too far which helped, and after some carefully placed gripping points she managed to get a foot on the ledge and clambered over the edge of the rooftop. However, should another akvatari come swooping in, she would be an easy target.

“Are we all here?” She asked breathlessly though in her heart she doubted such. “Poison, Venom, I need a report on the numbers down there. Did we do any damage or are there too many of them?”

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Nivel]

As the suction cups were torn of Sanana’s face they the left tiny punctures that sent tiny streams of warm blood down her face. They stung more than one would expect from tiny flesh wounds but they didn’t show through the illusion still placed on her. The creature that marred the Eypharian’s face was soon trampled by the mindless Isuran cropse that charged at Sayana. The charge didn’t completely miss it’s target however and would be sure to leave a black and blue bruise on Sayana’s arm that would take many days to heal. Considering the situation these were mere flesh wounds that were easily ignored the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

As she scrambled to escape the second charge of the Isur, it was possible for her to spot the freshly killed remains of one or her charges. There wouldn’t be enough time to investigate the details but they laid just to the left of the Tavern and their organs were being aggressively sucked from their body into the eager mouth of a giant pale crab. It was about the size of a large dog and thankfully took no notice of Sayana as it finished it’s meal. A swarm of the tiny crabs from before crawled all over the massive crab and the corpse.

The surrounded Zith met a similar gruesome end as one of the creatures caught him off guard from behind just as Sayana made her way to the rooftop. It bit into the Zith’s ribs causing him to scream in agony. The Other creatures soon pounced and tore into the flesh of their victim, the screams faded quickly as his body was ripped into pieces.

The few Zith that heard Sayana’s orders spread the message to the Zith they could and soon the roof tops were covered in Zith. Few of the creatures could fly so there was a moment for some leadership and strategy to take place before the Zith were yet again overwhelmed with relentless monstrosities.
Only the sound of the growls from the creatures down below could be heard for a moment when Saynana asked if they were all there. It was abundantly clear that there was a decent amount that had already been lost. Miss Vile who had been frantically treating a wound on another of the Zith Turned and muttered a word that didn’t have a direct meaning in common. It meant there are enough left to fight and others near her nodded, some with more confidence then others.

Rend responded on the behalf of the brother sister duo, only to say he hadn’t seen them. He looked toward the mist that still blanketed a large part of the city. “I haven’t seen them come out of that” his brow strained in concentration and he looked downward in an effort to combat his emotions “..There probably gone”

“They are strong and clever” Malice spoke up “if we venture into the mist we should find them.”

“The creatures will have the advantage in the mist..if they’re so strong they can make it out themselves.” Rend respectively retorted but it was clear he stood by his words with the determined look on his face.

“You are welcome to stay here, I will go” He looked at the crowd of Zith “Who will join me?”

[Sayana]

Her face stung and her bruised arm ached as she took stock of the situation. They had a moment’s pause from the chaos of the battle, but anyone who had been injured enough to be unable to fly were surely lost. When Rend spoke up, Sayana turned to him in confusion. Gone? They were gone just like that?

She quickly pulled a fresh bandage from her vest and bent to tie it around her leg. It was a rough job, wrapped around several times and tied to keep it from opening up further, but it would do. She tried to use only as much fabric as she needed since there would surely be further injuries to come, by herself or by other zith. Miss Vile was already tending to another zith.

“The mist may be where they originated from, but it might also be the source of their weakness.” Sayana spoke up. “I will join you. But we need to be smart. Target attacks where we outnumber them. Otherwise, take to the air or use the rooftops. We won’t be able to see very well through the mist, but we can still hear and they can’t always hear us. Use that to your advantage and keep in contact with those around you.”

As the zith each made up their minds as to whether to go, Sayana focused in on Malice. The colony needed a strong leader and if she could just give a little more strength… Even as she began pulling at her djed, she realized that Malice shouldn’t be her intended target. It was Rend who had expressed doubts on Poison and Venom’s fates. Instead she locked eyes on Rend’s blood red ones and began to pierce through with her djed, wrapped up with feelings of courage, determination and hope. She fueled the magic by focusing on the emotions herself, welling them up within her mind and shooting them out into his soul.

“They are not lost. Not yet.”

To the rest of the group she held her hands high, rallying them together. Her highs held two daggers while her mids were gloved with the climbing resin. The illusion would blend them together but it did not matter so long as she could use her limbs.

“We fly! We fight! And we’ll seek out the mysteries behind the mist. Do not be shamed with hit-and-run tactics. We need to survive.”

They had lingered long enough. Perhaps too long. Sayana leapt from the rooftop to a lower roof and winced at the impact. Without further delay she swung over the edge and gripped the roof with her mid hands before dropping the last several feet onto the ground. Crabs were feasting upon the remains and she gave a vicious slash of her dagger at the closest one. The mist was almost overbearing but before too many other monsters noticed she was back on the ground, she ran headlong towards suffocating whiteness of the mist.

Suddenly something shot towards her and she narrowly ducked to the side. “It’s thick upon the ground, but I think the undead are more disorganized too!” She called up, hoping for a response from either Rend or Malice. Her highs and lows were armed with daggers while her mids were ready punch, jab or climb if necessary.

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Nivel]

The spell Sayana had placed on Rend was enough to amplify any doubts he may have had on his stance. These doubts combated the wall of stubbornness and pride that held on to his decision and won the fight. As the connection was severed, Rend found himself unable to make eye contact with Sayana. He was embarrassed but hid it well with his neutral expression. The courage Saynana had lent him, wasn’t enough for him to admit he was wrong but he was still ready to follow the Eypharian he still despised.
“I will follow.” There was some resentment in his voice but he spread out his wings and flew alongside the others regardless.

“Good to know” Malice called back from the roof tops. “Need help?” He couldn’t see Sayana but he could definitely hear an altercation with his sensitive ears. He wasn’t sure if coming to her aid would actually help her or just distract her, so he waited for a signal. As the others ether proceeded along the roof tops or waited for further orders. Rend scanned the horizens for anything that could be considered suspicious. He was wasn’t sure if he would help Sayana but if Malice were in trouble he knew he would have to step in.

Whatever had hurled the projectile at Sayana took it’s time to reveal itself to Sayana. Instead it kept launching things in her direction, mostly bits of debris and other objects. There wasn’t a lot of accuracy at first but they got closer and closer to hitting her. An outline of two humanoid individuals finally became visible from the fog. From a distance it almost looked like they were covered in pale white fur but as they inched closer the texture was clearly a pattern of pearly scales. The features of their cold dead faces was reminiscent of snakes and their conjoined lower half wasn’t legs but a long and thick tail. As the creature slithered closer to Sayana it raised its self up to display it’s immense size.

Though it didn’t attack right away, their light pink eyes didn’t even look in Sayana’s direction. They simply tasted the air with their long and thin tongues and slowly moved their heads about as if time moved slower for them. The creature waited for Sayana to make a noise, it had already worn her down and was waiting for the perfect time to pounce.

To make matters even more dire, it had also attracted other creatures who wished to feed with it's earlier tactics. They emerged through the fog from all sides but like the conjoined Dhani they seemed to be waiting for something. They held twisted snarls and ravenous looking glares but they seemed more lost than they did out of the fog.

If Sayana was too loud they would surely rip Sayana to pieces and there was very few options for escape. If she looked around she could see four other silhouettes but there was no telling how many there were concealed further through the fog.

[Sayana]

Another projectile launched itself towards her and she had to quickly side-step it this time. One piece of debris might have been chance, but two… The thick fog was becoming increasingly frustrating and she had to slow her run to compensate. Another piece of debris came her way and even as she ducked and raised a mid arm defensively, it bruised her forearm as it made impact. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be worn down before even finding Poison and Venom. Changing her tact, she altered her path at a strong angle and crept more slowly through the fog. Still the projectiles came at her as if something was sensing her without sight. She was marginally more ready for them but they were getting better in aim.

Even as she felt the wall on her right, she managed to make the faint outline of two pale humanoid figures. The wavering lazy flick of their tongues immediately suggested their dhani race, and for a moment Sayana stopped in her tracks. They would be strong, incredible strong. And they might also be armed with poison. She stood deathly still for a moment, wondering if she could somehow get around them. But no, she could feel the solid wall next to her and she wouldn’t be able to gain much additional space.

“Malice, I need a distraction. And then someone to watch my back as I retrieve my daggers.”

She spoke more quietly, knowing that it would probably carry and also out of fear of being heard. The missiles had stopped for a short amount of time as she crept forwards along the wall with silent steps. As she readied her throwing daggers there was suddenly a flap of wings. Too soon. She wasn’t close enough. But with a wave of recklessness she leapt from her hiding place near the wall and flung her two throwing daggers ruthlessly at the closest dhani. Closest. It was only then that her brain registered that there were two she needed to kill. Still using her momentum she dashed forwards to the first dhani, more than likely impaled by her blades, and drew two longer daggers with her mids.

Her first move was to find her smaller daggers and pull them out with her highs. By then she made a slash at the second dhani’s chest, quickly followed by a thrust to its neck with another blade. But that was all she had time for. Narrowly dodging the pale dhani creature, she sprinted onwards into the mist. Each pound upon her right leg sent jolts of pain from the earlier injury but she needed to press forwards. They needed to find Poison and Venom, and the source of this undead army. And whatever was fueling it.

Suddenly it seemed as though there were more around her than she had though. Shadows springing out from the mist, keeping her running faster and faster. She needed to find some place safe. Somewhere to hide. Somewhere to…

And suddenly she was falling.

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Nivel]

through the vast erie landscape Malace was able to pick up Sayana’s message with his sensitive ears and keen sense. He quickly waved to the Zith behind him and followed him as he took flight to Sayana’s location. As soon as he spotted the Giant constrictor dhani he knew it wasn’t wise to engage directly. It would require some kind of projectile from a safe distance if he were to fell the creature. Since he couldn’t spot a suitable one he would have to get the abomination away from his comrade as soon as possible. He gave hand signals to the Zith souring behind him incase they were foolish enough to attack as he soured behind the dhani.

“This way ugly” He growled loudly in Zithanese. The creature took the bait and in a blur of movement it dashed toward the noise hungrily. A few of the creatures followed behind the Dhani hoping to get whatever sloppy seconds they could get. The dhani looked up at malice with both heads and hissed in unison while the Zith tried his best to look out for who he was rescuing. When he saw a dagger logged into one of the snake’s torso’s, he feared the worst. Though he had more to worry about as some of the overzealous Zith swooped down and slashed at the snake. The first reckless Zith was able to deal a fatal blow to the jugular of one twin but the other was able to grapple it. Another Zith tried to save him from the crushing grip of the Dhani but the young victim was brutally crushed and his saviour had her neck tore into. Malice cried out at the display but there was little he could do as the other creatures joined in on the bloody feast.

—-

“Sayana?” Poison said as he frantically shook Sayana’s limp body. “Wake up..I need you”

Sayana found herself laying down in some kind of catacomb with only the light from the hole she clearly fell from. It’s dim light illuminated the area like a tranquil moonlight giving the area a hazy dream like quality. After she took further note of the surrounding area she would notice Venoms unconscious body lying on a slab of rubble.

“Still alive..but I don’t know what to do” Stress and Anguish could be seen on the twin brothers face. “A creature hit her and she fell down here…she shouldn’t have rushed ahead…”

There wasn’t many structures to climb that could be spotted in the area, only piles of rubble that didn’t seem very stable. Only the dark landscape seemed to give any hope of exit, but just about anything could be waiting for them.

[Sayana]

War and Battle. It was an entirely different feel than one on one fights or small skirmishes. Even though they were both combat oriented, the immense size of a battlefield made you just another soldier in the vast crowd. Even the skilled fighters were just as susceptible to a stray arrow, blade, or chunk of illusioned ground disappearing unexpectedly beneath their feet.

Sayana groaned as she awoke. Her whole body felt beaten and battered as if she had bruises all over. For half a tick her eyes tried to adjust to the dim light then suddenly she started reaching for her daggers. But it was just Poison. Poison who had been shaking her body and trying to wake her up. His voice sounded desperate but there wasn’t any intense urgency to it. Even so, she tried to sit up and confirm that there were no enemies or undead in the immediate vicinity. Her muscles burned with the effort, but it was probably more the result of the injuries of her fall than true exhaustion or weakness.

As Sayana looked around the dim cavern-like pit, Poison drew her attention to the limp body lying against some rubble. Venom. Well she had successfully found both Poison and Venom. She stepped over to the frail limp body of the fierce female zith. Definitely unconscious and Poison assured her that the zith was still alive. Sayana began examining the body for any injuries, gashes or anything she could tend to right away. Her high arms carefully and gently looked Venom over, while her mids began digging into the pockets of her vest for various herbs and healing ointments. She dabbed some Krolar paste here and there, coupled with vyfox flowers placed upon the cuts. Lastly she bandaged what she could. However, the more likely cause of Venom’s unconsciousness was internal, and Sayana had little experience healing anything within the body.

For a couple of ticks she racked her brain for any herb that might awaken someone from unconsciousness but all that she could think of was Connal, which did the reverse effect and aided in sleep. Plus, even if she had thought of something brilliant, she probably didn’t have it on hand with her.

“Poison, if there’s some water we could try splashing it on her face. But I don’t think it’ll do much more than tapping her cheek or shaking her awake.” For safe measure, she did a gentle shake to the limp body but she was also concerned that if somehow Venom had broken something, too much physical disturbance could potentially harm the zith.

“Do you think she’ll be able to fly even if she does wake up? You two could still get out even if I can’t. I have some climbing resin with me, but the walls look like they are made of dirt and I’ll need something solid like stone to get out.”

The illusioned zith got to her feet and did a mental check of her own body. The bandage on her leg needed to be tightened and one arm was pretty bruised up from the undead isur. Plus there were a multitude of small scrapes and bruises, probably from her fall. But she was awake and could probably push herself a little further. That was more than what could be said for Venom.

“I’ll carry her. We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long. We need to find either the source of the undead and where they are coming from, or the source of their weakness. Poison, you may not be as strong as the other zith but you have a good brain. Use it. If you think of anything that will give us an advantage over the undead, tell me.”

Sayana approached the limp female zith and made sure everything had been tucked away except for two longer daggers in her high hands, before attempting to pick up Venom. Even though the zith illusion was frequently visible to Sayana, she could still feel and use her other hands, and in this case her mids to hold the zith’s body. The illusion itself would struggle to maintain the semblance that she both held Venom and wielded daggers in her single apparent set of arms, but it was not something that Sayana cared to worry about. However, the more she used her mid arms, the more quickly they would become fatigued. Even more than usual.

Fortunately the female zith was light, or at least in comparison to other humanoids. But she knew the muscles in her arms would begin to strain over the long term. As such, she kept Venom close to her body with her high hands protectively above the female zith.

With a nod to Poison, Sayana began to make her way through the darkened underground landscape. “Keep close, we don’t know what’s out there.”

Sayana speaking Zithanese