OOC: Sibera, if you were a woman you'd know that a woman can never touch a man she has no interest in without getting that reaction- even hitting one is being 'feisty'. It was really funny to see your reaction like that, so similar to how real life ends up...

@Canzeri: That's a pretty darn cool post. Reading that, I was like 'Wow... there is so much going on Matthew's head'. It really does give him a lot of background, and it explains a lot about his character (like, it fits in really well with how he's been rped).

I PMed Scow, btw, but he hasn't responded. Does anyone feel they know him well enough to RP him until Scow returns, or shall I?

ooc: @Sib and Illusionary: Oh, c'mon, you see how I thought that, right? She walks up to him, runs her hand down his cheek and then grins in a way her brother dislikes? To most people, that looks like shameless flirting! :stare:

Anyway, I'll have it bug Kraggy just to be mean to 'im.

@Canzeri: That was a beautiful post. Kudos. :goodjob:

ic: The vampire just stared at Theresa oddly for a moment. Some bit of him wanted to flirt back -mostly just to mess with her brother- but he figured it'd be extremely inappropriate and held his tongue. The silence was awkward and he might've had to say something sooner or later, but wasn't sure what. Luckily, Ra'Shinavi saved him the trouble.

"Well, let's keep moving." Shinavi broke the silence, prompting S'Kragki to mentally sigh in relief.

"Well I guess he is right. We do need to keep on going." Theresa added.

"Yes.. Yes, of course.." He muttered, feeling a little ashamed of himself. Over a century old and you still can't look a woman in the eyes and tell her 'no.' You're pathetic.

S'Kragki lingered a moment, then realized he was getting left behind and jogged silently after the two siblings. "So.. what exactly is there in Cheydinhal? A survivor's colony?" He inquired as he caught up next to them

OOC *bump* I know Scow is around...

And yeah, it looked like shameless flirting to me too. My point was more that women learn not to act like that once they're older than six, so I imagine, Theresa, who is older than six, is either sheltered or gets LOTS of unwanted attention. If she never learned, it could happen.

OOC: I honestly hope we reach Cheydinhal soon because I'm having difficulty coming up with things to write. I have some ideas on what could happen in Cheydinhal, at least for my char.

IC:
"Cold as the tips of my arrows." The phrase made him smirk for a fraction of a second. Then his smile tore into pieces as the true message caught up with him.

"You don't care about any of us. We're just instrumental to your own survival."

Pure truth, yet for some unexplicable reason her words had stung him. He was angry but more than that - he was sad.

Do I crave that much for your approval, Ren? What would that possibly gain me? Your approval will not shield me from the corprus beasts. It will not protect me from the swords and spears of anyone who desires to kill me, no matter the reason for it.

"I've never lied to you," he said despite the fact that she was too far to hear him.

Isn't truth the bitter cup everyone desires to drink from? Except for cowards. Only cowards choose to lie. People that shy away from the pain the truth brings. But I am a vampire. I should feel nothing. Then why do her words make me hurt aso much?

It felt as if he were going in circles. He would not be able to exist is this wretched state any longer.

I would have to decide soon: will I allow myself to believe in the illusion of trust or will I choose to continue as a shade of a being I once was? Is pain really the only thing worth living for?

OOC: Sorry about my absence... A week or two ago, something came up in my life that made me sever my ties to all my RP characters... Caused me to drop out of two awesome RPs . I hope I can get back into this character, but the current situation is not his cup of tea.

IC: Dar'shandi backed off a bit from the group, retreating into his mind as he walked along the road. To him, it was like he was alone again, as he was before reaching the Imperial City's shelter. He hoped Cheydinhall would be fun, he had too much energy, and his inablilty to release it was burning him out. To keep his mind off the current boredom, he reflected back on the battle with the corprus monsters. If they were to be a common enemy, he would have to understand their physiology to adapt his combat style to them.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the legionairre's sarcastic offhand comment. Catching the sarcastic nature of the comment, he looked up and said, "Dar'shandi could paint this scene and make it beautiful." And indeed he could. His world was vibrant, colorful, and alive, even where others saw nothing but death. Part of it was his inability to see the darkness of the land, part of it from his perpetual moon-sugar buzz.

OOC: Alright. We'll take a vote for a time skip.

Do we want to skip time so that everyone is just getting to Cheydinhal?

PM me your answers.

Just hoping to make it a little easier for everyone to get back into this. Also, if people feel its time to bring in new characters or whatever, Cheydinhal would be a good time. We can also unite our two groups.

OOC: The time hath come for the time skip... and in the words of Canzeri 'time to unite the two parties into one epic group of misfits!'

Which is all we care about in this RP anyhoo.

Alright... here goes...

This is how the city looks from the outside. The main group will start inside, the second group a little ways outside but following in their footsteps.
IC:

Cheydinhal Outskirts

The huge doors of the city loomed before them, the city walls as magnicent as ever, tarnished now only with ash. But the stink of the dead and the diseased, and the gentle moan carried on the wind told a story far different from the cities great past.

The Cheydinhal Shelter, unlike the Imperial City Shelter, did not appear to be on the outside of the city- but it was clear that the city itself was no safe-haven. A flock of black crows, their feathers moulting and their bodies bloated, settled along the walls facing the group, red eyes flashing at them from within their frames of black.

They had been walking for hours now, and everyone was exhausted. Night had fallen an hour past, and the dark red sky had the tell-tale clouds that marked a gathering storm- and in these days, no storm was safe.

They entered the city, Matthew giving the order that they all stay close and quiet, and everyone was on edge, weapons drawn and at the ready, listening out for the sounds of corprus.

Fin, Winna and Arathor stood around Ren, giving her the protection that she had proved in the last fight that she needed so desperately. Kharro and Dar'Shandi had obeyed Matthew to some degree, but, according to their ways (reckless and loner), they still stood out of the main circle, though they were close enough still to be part of the group.

They walked for a little while, hoping against all odds that on corprus should fall upon them, weakened though they were, when at last they say a huge, white-walled construction backing against the city walls themselves. It was windowless, as all shelters had to be, and the white walls were covered in ash and red mud. Standing outside a single door were what appeared to be a battalion of legionnaires, the majority of which were archers.

Within moments, all bows were aimed upon them. It was clear this group were no corprus beasts, but there were always the dreamers, Ur's mind-melted followers, to worry about.

"What is your business here?" a legionnaire called.

--

A ways back, S'Kragki, Ra'Shinavi and Theresa began to approach the city, noting with dismay that the doors stood ajar, and that the sickly flesh of corprus accompanied loud moans as a group of three corprus shifted about just inside the city doors.

ooc: Thanks IN! Was going to PM you about Cheydinhal and how it was to answer S'kragkis question.

ic:

Theresa had somewhat avoided the question of what Cheydinhal was like. The walk was alittle silent, besides Theresa's occasional question to the vampire khajiit or Shinavi's consistent look out gaze over the blackened earth. "You wanted to know what Cheydinhal was like? Well, there it is... or was. Its a massive shelter in the centre and inhabited by Corprus. Being so close to the border its not exactly..safe. We had thought of moving away, running even to Somewhere less affected like Elsweyr But well its hard to even travel without corprus or blight infected critters." she said softly. One could notice that she tensed, as the moans of Corprus sang along the wind like the howling of a werewolf on a hunt, a shivver went up her spine almost visibly. Her ears laid flat against her head, her tail starting to curl abit as fear began to crawl up her body.

Ra'shinavi tensed but in the more protective way, he was terrified but not for his safety but for his sister. "We have visitors within the walls again... and its not of the good variety..." he whispered gripping his blade tightly.

As they had walked, S'Kragki had pondered, in between answering questions for Theresa. Was there really some kind of shelter there where people managed to find refuge amid all the chaos. Cheydinhal seems awfully close to Morrowind to be a good shelter location. But if it works, then.. I guess that's all that matters. He thought with a shrug. The white cat had watched night fall around them and, although he fed often enough to walk in the daylight, he enjoyed the night more. His eyes were still sensitive to the rays of the sun, even if not enough to cause damage, and it was a relief to have the cool blanket of night on him once more.

Upon hearing Theresa's reply to his question a while back, he looked up and grimaced. That's all that's left? Where's the shelter? It's not just a single house, is it? He thought in mild despair. For some reason, he'd hoped for something more.. big and epic. Could be the castle I guess. Aloud, he 'hm'ed and looked up to the sky before noticing Theresa shiver in his peripherals. She had the look of a distressed Khajiit, the ears back and the tail curled a bit. He set a hand on her shoulder and patted it.

"You needn't worry, Theresa. I won't let you come to any harm." He reassured her as gently as his gruff voice let him. Another thought occurred to him and he smiled at her a little. "If that shiver was from cold, though, you can borrow my coat. Not exactly your size, but it'll keep the chill at bay."

ooc: I just realized something: We have a lot of fuzzy people.

As soon as Kharro saw the group of Legionaires, his face darkened, if that was even possible. At least two people among them seemed to be mages.
Why am I surprised? Did I really think they would allow anyone to enter?

He knew the purpose of the mages among the soldiers. They were there to screen those who wished to enter for signs of Corprus. Not that he had a problem with that but he did have another, quite problematic condition.
What will they do when they find out? And what will they do when they find out?
The second time he was refering to the people of his group.

Suddenly, he realized he doesn't want them to find out he is what he is. Why is that important? You reached Cheydinhal, the sanctuary entrance is not far from here. You can go whenever you please. Surely the Brotherhood will have a mission for you that will make you forget everything you had to suffer from them in the past few days. You will even forget her.

Then why do I find it so hard to leave them?
"Because you are a masochist," Kharro muttered to himself, perhaps too loudly.

"I think I will take my leave," he said out loud for everyone to hear him, slowly pronouncing every word. He lowered his bow, which he kept ready from the moment they entered the remains of Cheydinhal, and slowly put distance between himself and the group.

"What is your business here?" a legionnaire called

"I am Matthew Ironheart of the Crimson Legionnaires!" Matthew exclaimed as he pulled out the imperial badge, "And this group is on a mission for the empire!"

He was unsure as to whether they would be allowed in, but the odds were highly in their favor. There was always the chance these legionnaires decided to keep everyone out to save their own skins, but that would decrease their own chances of survival. Even corrupt legionnaires would realize that their group would provinde more hands to defend the city. Matthew was about to speak again when Kharro interrupted him.

"I think I will take my leave," the khajit loner said slowly as he backed away.

"Where are you going friend?" Matthew asked suspiciously, "Surely you won't leave us as soon as we reached our first destination? What matters do you have to attend to more important than this?"

He didn't want to have a group argument in front of the already tense guardsmen, but he was wondering what Kharro was up to.

"Fine," the Legionnaire said, looking at Kharro. "That's one less we need waste our magic on, at least."

But a legionnaire behind him shook his head. "You be careful out there," the second urged. "The world, as I'm sure you know, is no longer a place where it is safe to be alone... if it ever was."

The captain looked to Matthew. "A Crimson, you say?" He walked over and peered at their badge, whistling. "That's directly from the Blades, that is... I won't gainsay that." His expression hardened, however, as he added, "But mission or no, you could still be infected or brainwashed in your sleep. We've already had to cut off the most of the east wing from Corprus, and Dreamer assassins keep waking, though they are hell to ferret out. We'll check you before your let in." He gestured to his mages.

"If you refuse to be scanned- in body and in mind- you'll go the same way as your surly friend," he pointed at Kharro. "Alone, in a corprus-ridden city. We'd not wish that on you, but rules are rules, and if you're infected, we'll probably put you out of your misery. Better that way."

The faces of the other legionnaires were grim- though it was not clear exactly what they're experience of this was, it showed on their faces that they strongly believed death preferable to corprus.

-----------

"I think I will take my leave..." said Kharro, causing Winna to turn and stare. Though the ex-priestess had been nothing but suspicious of the khajiit when they first met, his actions later had caused her to change her opinion somewhat. For starters, he hadn't killed Ren when she let loose at him, and she could only imagine how much he had wanted to- she certainly had. There was only so much mouth she could take from the breton, directed at her or elsewhere. Then he had saved the very same breton- and surely it had not been entirely to his gain. Afterall, none of them had known where he was.

Winna couldn't, however, think of a reason why he might wish to leave. Winna was sharp for a warrior, but she was no philosopher, and her mind never made the sudden leaps of logic that were required when trying to figure out a mystery.

But regardless of his motives, and the dislike she'd have of him in the past, she couldn't bring herself to actually say her initial reaciton, which was 'good riddance'. No... loner though he might be, Kharro the dark khajiit had become more to the group than simply a morbid tag-a-long. She suspected by Matthew's reaction that the legionnaire felt the same, despite his suspicion.

And thus, Winna said nothing, never really knowing how to display positive emotions anymore, since the destruction of her world. But she gave a curt nod to Kharro as he gave his farewell, as much a thanks as she could muster for someone who was still so shrouded in mystery to her eyes.

----------------

"I take my leave..." Kharro said. Ren heard nothing else after that. He was... leaving?

How could he leave them? It seemed bizarre to her now, that she had once wished him as far away from them as possible. Impossible as he was, as much as his coldness hurt her, he was part of their group now. They're dysfunctional family. And against all odds, against even his own admissions, against her own will, even... she'd trusted him.

And he was leaving. He only cares about himself... she thought bitterly, but her expression was that of someone fighting tears.

But, slowly, her calm thinking asserted over her emotions. Why? Why was he leaving? She looked at the group around her, and played back the words that had passed that she hadn't registered before. We have to be scanned before we're let into the city... she thought, and remembered the legionnaires comment about 'one less'. Her eyes swept to Kharro. Was he hiding something? Certainly it had always seemed so before. His admission that people couldn't trust him. His attempts at becoming something else when he had first joined the group. His general stand-offishness, and loner attitude.

Was it not just his own peculiar fashion? He had been so quick in the fight with corprus, so efficient... was it really normal? Or was it something more? Certainly, odd though he was, he didn't look old enough to be so wholly experienced.

A she pondered these things, the legionnaire stepped forwards again. "Who wishes to be scanned first? I'm afraid you'll have to leave your weapons while this is happening- and I'm afraid it is less than comfortable. But it is necessary- this near to the border, all hell breaks loose. Daily."

She froze and looked back at him blushing lightly "Well uhh, Sure.." she wasnt sure what to say at the very least. Usually though offers from males generally meant something more of a 'warm up' later. Though This one seemed different she relaxed slightly but still she was afraid of what lurked inside. That and for their foster parents whom raised them. Ra'shinavi quirked an eyebrow hearing the offering of the coat and suddenly had quite the visual, chuckling lightly he slowed to wait for them This would be interesting, her in a trench, she'd fall over herself.. he thought chuckling slightly.

S'Kragki stopped and pulled his metal flask out of his pocket, then removed his pack and put the container inside. Leaving the pack on the ground, the large Khajiit pulled one arm out of the tattered coat, then the other. Once off, S'Kragki shook the thing out, dirt falling off of spots on it. He knew he needed to wash it sometime he was at a water source, but he'd never had the time to stop and do so. His coat off, the vampire looked a lot different; his arms were exposed, numerous scars of all kinds littering them from decades of combat. The Orcish armor he wore over his arms was now fully visible as well and seemed as scarred from battle as he was. Without the coat, he almost looked like a regular person.

Turning to Theresa, he held the jacket out to her in one hand and gave a slight smile. "Here. It might be a little big, but don't worry if it drags the ground." He told her and gave a tiny chuckle, As you might already see, I'm not worried about it getting dirty."

Fin considered Kharro's withdrawing from the group. Though it did not add up, he was not one for mysteries. He simply shrugged and stepped forward; Fin himself did not yet recognize Kharro as an integral part of the group. He presented his weapons in a quickened manor to the guard; He removed the belt holding his blade and carefully, with the crossbow on top, extended his arms out to the man.

"I will be checked first. I have no fear of the disease, currently. " Fin delivered a crooked smile, his eyes serene and at peace. This was, of course, until he noticed a crow picking at a nearby pile of decaying, bloated corprus beasts. His smile fell immediately and he fought the urge to wretch at first. By the Nine...how can the creature stomach such a diet? Surely it must taste foul.

Theresa admired alittle how the khajiit seemed to look much like any adventurer who had made allot of gold to afford Orcish armour. Taking the coat she slid it on, almost disappearing into it. Alittle snicker escaped Shinva's muzzle which earned a glare from Theresa. "Well, Noone can find me in it!" she exclaimed as her hands hadnt even come out of the sleeves it was that big. She gave S'krakgi a big hug for it "Thanks!" doing it up where she could she twirled in it abit "Feels like a big dress... does it make me look fat?" she asked jokingly, almost having forgotten about the corprus looming nearby.

The vampire smiled and set a clawed hand on his hip, grinning as he watched Theresa vanish into the coat. "Well, no one can find me in it!" She said from within the garment, then did it up like a dress. Out of nowhere, she hugged and thanked him and after a second of not knowing what to do, felt his heart warm and put his scarred white arms around her, laughing gruffly.

"Well, you're welcome, missy." He growled in as friendly a manner as his voice let him.

Letting go of him, the little Khajiiti maiden twirled in the coat like a dress, the tattered ends whipping out as she did so. She looked.. ridiculous in an adorable way. Leaning up against a dead tree, S'Kragki laughed happily for the first time in decades. His eyes seemed to light up with the act and, for just a moment, he forgot how miserable he was. These kids will be good for me. I need a purpose and.. protecting them might just be it.

Still, the thought that these might be his grandchildren warmed him in a way he'd not felt for some time. That feeling of being accepted, even cared for, was priceless. As long as he still existed, they would not come to harm. He would see to that with his last breath if need be.

"Feels like a big dress.. does it make me look fat?" Theresa asked jokingly, forcing another short of laughter from S'Kragki.

"Fat's not the word. I'd say.. poofy." He smiled at her, "Like a little girl in her mom's Sundas best."

Her ears flattened at him and she gave a chuckle "Poofy..Hmm" she tightened the straps abit and looked at the other two "Lets head in. Before we get caught by surprise by the moaning corprus" she said. The hug from S'krakgi made her go alittle weird feeling, not many guys got to her hug with her over protective brother around. He didnt say anything and continued on to the ruined city. Though this time it was more or less slower I wonder..does the guy seduce girls and svck their blood? Is he telepathic? he thought to himself, not knowing much on vampires.

OOC: Three corprus are attacking your characters right about... now. Once you're in, they'll come for you.

Chaos: the part of the post relating to what happens to Fin is conditional on him putting his weapon down. It's also vague, so you can elaborate on it and the memories and feelings in your post, if you wish to.
IC:

Ren looked nervously at Fin. She would have been willing to volounteer to go first, if only so she'd be able to warn the others what it was like... but it'd probably have taken her longer to gather her wits. "They said it's uncomfortable..." she said to Fin, glancing warily at the mages.

"A little more than uncomfortable," one of the mages said, raising his hands in a placating gesture as Ren started. "But it won't kill you, I promise."

It didn't surprise Ren that Fin should go first, but still he did.

-------------

"I'll go next," Winna volounteered, looking at the others. She gave a disparaging look at the mages. "And if you can give a proper healer's probe, battlemage," she said the class like a curse. "Then may Dibella rise from her grave and strike me down." She crossed her arms, glaring at the mages. Though this apparent grudge would seem to be a personal matter, it was Winna's way of expressing her concern for Fin- and, on some level, of threatening anyone who hurt him. She did not care for him as Ren did, but she was naturally protective of the group.

-----------

The three mages came and formed a circle around Fin, linking hands. "Put your weapon down," one advised. "If you kill us in retaliation to this, you're never getting in."

Once Fin put his weapon down, they began. At first, it was a cool wash of blue magic, prickly, however, as if the skin were being tested all over with blunt needles, never breaking the skin. Despite the prickly feeling, though, it was oddly soothing, the restoration magic crude but familiar.

"Corprus free," One mage muttered.

"Now to see if Ur lives within," another said.

The blue magic ceased, and all squeezed their eyes tightly shut. Now they probed into Fin's mind with such intensity that it was even painful to watch. It felt as if something had crawled into his brain and was thrashing around, attacking whatever it met. A few fleeting memories passed, and then it focused, in on what it had come for- his dreams. Were they free of the Taint of Ur? Or was Fin a Dreamer?

After what felt like an eternity of excruciation, the mages broke hands. "He's untainted," the last mage whispered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Sorry about that," he added to Fin, apologetically. "Necessary evil."

At first, Fin thought it would be fine, thinking that the 'more than uncomfortable' mentioned by the group of battlemages was the blue wave of magic washing over him. He almost smiled and laughed, before the second half began. It was not pleasant in any meaning of the word.

For the first few seconds of the spell, Fin felt nothing. And then the pain began. If his mind would have been in any state to conjure up and put forth a structured thought, Fin might have likened the experience to being clubbed over the head by an ogre and then having a pack of land dreugh inhabit his brain, scurrying all over with their sharp little limbs and dreadful pvssyring. He groaned and clutched his head, yelling out as memories involuntarily flew past his eyes.

He saw back to the night, wrapped in the cold of Frostfall on the island of Solsthiem, that he had seen his closest friends and companions cut down upon the docks by a trio of were-beasts. They had fought valiantly but, in the end, fell to the relentless claws and lightning speed of the beasts. Running through the pseudo alleys created by the proximity of the ramshackle huts to one another, he fled for his life into the night. Cresting a hill, he sat on a rock next to a bush filled with glistening red berries, watching the village as it burned, and hearing the screams of those he had come to see as brothers and sisters in their travels. Making shelter in a cave, he ventured to a small mining outpost along the coast and chartered a ship back to the imperial city.

His vision flashed to the day when he and his sister were given their names by their parents, and then to the day where the corprus took his father. Finally, before it ended, it flashed to the fateful meeting in the Imperial Shelter, where destiny had laid out its last chance for the salvation of Tamriel. As the wizards' hands receded from his mind, he collapsed, panting and sweating. Taking a moment to regain his composure, he replaced his weapons to their rightful place on his person, and backed away for the next person in the group to come.

Fin elected to stay back from the group, looking thoughtfully and solemnly towards the ground, shaken by what the wizards had dug up from the dark recesses of his mind.

OOC: When it comes to Dar'shandi's turn... I think it would be most beneficial to the story for him to inadvertently go find the other party rather than get scanned... Because this kitty is almost absolutely shameless,. I'd hate for the only indication of what is in his mind to be a massive "[This passage has been censored by order of everything on Nirn and Oblivion that has some minute sense of decency]", and requiring the Battlemage to grab a massive bottle of Brain Bleach (Which I believe has a massive damage/drain Int on it...)

IC: After observing the effect the mage had on the Argonian, Darshandi tried to figure out what happened... He knew mind-reading could be a harrowing experience, but wondered who's mind would suffer more. At length, he asked, "Can you give Dar'shandi a pass? He does not think you want to see so much fur and other things, and what you do see is not always true. Otherwise, Dar'shandi will have to go away." This scan would in no way go over well with the khajiit. He was highly uncomfortable with the fact he'd have to take off his two outer-most shirts to declare all the knives hidden on his person. Every time he took off a shirt, he risked disturbing the undershirts enough to bare part of his torso, which he definately did not want even if the Battlemage saw far more of him than any non-female would ever want to.

OOC: That's for Kharro to do. Why do you think he stayed outside?

OOC: First things first...

SCOW!!!! *glomps* Thanks for coming!

Secondly; yeah, Kharro's already out to meet the second group, so don't worry about it.

IC:

Ren gulped, and glanced at Dar'Shandi. Mistaking the khajiit's dislike of bearing his skin for fear, she frowned, and went to stand beside him. "It's okay, you know," she said. "I- I'll go next, so that you can see it's alright. Besides- what we're doing is worth a little discomfort, right?"

The Legionnaire said to Dar'Shandi, "Only put down your weapons- we won't strip search you. Our mages will know soon enough if you've lied." His grin was full of black humour.

Ren looked at him, unnerved, and said to Dar'Shandi, "I know we don't always get along, but... well... I hope it goes well for you." She gave a hesitant smile to the ohmes, and went to the circle of mages.

"Drop your weapons," the mages ordered. Ren shrugged. "I have no weapons left," she said, remembering the dagger that she had lost.

Then they formed their terrifying triad around her and began their spell.

A number of things were going through Matthew's mind as he watched the mages prepare to perform their spell on Ren. First off he was wondering how much the spell would hurt. From the look on Fin's face, it might cause quite a bit of discomfort. The second thought going through his head was how much of his mind would they read? He would rather have a mudcrab dropped into his trousers than have his personal life revealed to a group of random legionnaires.

The last thought that troubled him was if coming here was really worth it. While they were traveling here he imagined the city to be the last gleaming light in the dark world. Now that he was seeing it up close, it would be a serious understatement to say he was dissapointed. His mind told him how childish it was to believe that Cheydinhal would be untouched by Ur's evil, but his heart kept hoping just that. Even the mages here look like they would rather be somewhere else, and the news that some of the city was blocked off because of corpus and dreamers was no hope-lifter.

"I guess I will go after you Winna." he said with a sigh, "Even though the idea of a mind probe is not very exciting, it's better than standing out here."

As the three approached the ruins, the fur on the back of S'Kragki's neck prickled. In an instant, he pulled his crossbow out and held the butt of it against his shoulder, peering down the iron sight on it. Turning to them, he held one hand out in a 'stop' gesture. "Wait here." He told them simply. Turning, he went into the gates. Like a trained infiltration expert, he slipped around corners here and there, checking every one, ready to put down anything that jumped out at him. He could hear them moaning, but the ruins distorted the angles, the sheer amount of corners making his Hunter's Sight entirely useless for the most part. For all his Khajiiti hearing and vampiric senses, he could not tell what direction the damn things were in and that made him mad. Lowering the crossbow after moving a ways into the maze of ruins, he sighed and leaned on a wall. He heard footsteps and saw a dark robelike garb along with a cattish face on the figure approaching him and his mind assumed it was Theresa.

"Dammit, I told you to wait. Fine, just stay close and on alert. I don't know when one of.." As the thing got within four feet, S'Kragki looked up as it groaned and let out a growling yell at the decaying feline form before him, clad in a rotting and tattered mage's robe. Seeing the thing made him shiver. It was cornering him and stood too close to flee to firing distance or take aim, but his weapon was still in hand and he had no time to holster it. With a quick sigh, he stepped into the thing and struck at its face with his bracer. It was a good thing, too, since the creature grabbed it before impact and tried to bite it. The immortal swore and headbutted it, this time to at least some effect.

When the Corprus staggered, S'Kragki glared at it, then took aim. He fired straight at its head and.. He had to blink and look at the bolt lying snapped in half on the ground to believe it, swearing again at realizing what this meant. There'd been a flash of purple where the shot had struck, which meant one thing. "Shield.. and a strong damn one at that. Forsaken thing has an enchanted robe. Hell, how do you hurt something that you can't strike? Agh!" Lashing out pointlessly in frustration, he kicked it square in the chest, knocking it backwards. The decrepit Khajiit stumbled back, fell over and did some kind of weird sideways roll back onto its feet as it hit the dirt. S'Kragki cast it a queer glance and groaned again. That's new. Maybe it was an acrobatic kind of mage when it was.. still a person. He'd wanted to think 'still alive' but the thing was, scarily, still living and he knew it. Even though it looked like a zombie and acted little different from an undead, he knew from experience that when they bled, they bled warm, and they could obviously do things a zombie could not. Staring at the thing, he cursed it, cursed Dagoth Ur, that robe it wore and the stupid shield spell.

"Why don't you just die.." He groaned, then sighed and began to turn around. "Fine. Enjoy your robe you stupid son of a.." Stopping in his tracks as he stepped over a burnt barrel, he looked at his hands, then grinned an almost evil looking grin, spun on his heel and charged the thing. It screeched in his face as he ran, tried to tackle the vampire, and both ended up stumbling a bit as they hit. S'Kragki hadn't had to wrestle one of the things in ages and had forgotten how unnaturally strong they were. Even with the help of his physique and disease, it matched him, maybe more. The thing slung a punch at him and met Kragki's boot in its shin, staggered forward and spun to face him, lunged to bite his neck and got a hand to the throat and a kick in the guts.

Emitting a sickening gurgle as it got the blow to the gut, it was overpowered just long enough to get pinned by the neck to the wall. Though the plan hadn't gone exactly as intended, it ended as he'd needed it to, and as his clawed hand closed on its throat, he let fly with an absurd amount of fire magicka. "Can't shield that, can you, you mutant [censored]!" He growled in anger as it screeched in agony and clawed his armored hand. After a good five seconds, screeching turned to gargling and choking, and then.. silence. Dropping the creature's body, the vampire snarled at the corpse, then kicked it roughly and sighed. Looking at his armor, he saw the thing had actually left little gashes all over the bracers. S'Kragki just shook his head and hefted his crossbow again. "Gods damn.." He muttered, heading back to the entrance of the city. He hoped he'd gotten the worst one of them so that Theresa and Ra'Shinavi would be safe from any surprise attacks where he'd left them.

ooc: You guys can have the other ones, I just wanted to do that, hehe.