Adrian dove to the side as two figures shot out of the forest. **What 's going on? I didn't even feel them coming.** She looked up as two robots hung above them. One nodded towards her and the rest of the group. Her eyes narrowed as the one robot attacked Multex, driving him away from them and further into the forest.
The second robot, this one with an animal skull, moved towards them. She drew her sword from the sheath on her belt and held it read for his attack. Both Gelid and Fang moved in front, growling. Artemis pulled out her bow and Draco pushed Alicia back, also ready to fight.
"Hello. Let me introduce myself. I am Necronimus."
"Am I supposed to care?" Adrian asked, sizing him up. It made her nervous, first that she couldn't keep tabs on him with her mind, and second that he could fly. She had trouble fighting anything in the air, being land bound herself, but she refused to let her uneasiness show.
"A bit rude. Well I suppose it doesn't matter since I'm just going to kill you." He replied, motioning towards the ground with his hands.
Adrian then felt something she identified immediately, as the ground broke open and a number of creatures came out of the ground. They walked on two legs, but anything more then that was hard to tell, as their bodies were pretty well into the decaying process.
"What are those?" Artemis backed up as a foul stench reached their noses.
Artemis let an arrow fly towards the advancing dead. It took out one of the creature's eyes, but it was simply plucked out and tossed to the side. Fang and Gelid launched forward. Fang ripping into the creatures while Gelid encased all that got close enough to him in ice. They were forced back as the creatures either put themselves back together or, broke out of the ice.
"You can't kill what's already dead." Necronimus said with a smirk.
Adrian sheathed her sword and drew Demonslayer off the sheath on her back, at the same time shoving down all emotion she was feeling. The blade glowed with its inner light as the creatures Necronimus had summoned moved towards them still.
Without a word she moved forward, slicing through the first of the creatures she came to. But this time, instead of the arm falling and then reattaching, there was a hiss of green gas and the creature disappeared. She went though another dozen before they retreated, leaving the group looking up at Necronimus.
"Impressive." He said and Adrian knew he was nervous as he floated a little higher, making sure he was well out of reach of the blade.
"What's your buddy doing to Multex?" Artemis asked.
"That's none of your concern." Necronimus said with a smile.
**I hate not being able to feel his intentions.** She thought to herself.
Suddenly she felt an upheaval of dead beneath her. She jumped up as more of the creatures exploded from the ground under her. She cut them back when she heard Draco call out behind her.
"Adrian, watch out."
**Damn.** Adrian had forgotten to check Necronimus's position and she came to regret it as the robot slammed into her. She slammed against the ground, desperately trying to keep her hand on her sword.
Gelid fired a shot of ice, knocking Necronimus back as Adrian climbed to her feet shakily. Draco was also shooting energy blasts at the robot, pairing with Gelid's ice attacks. She realized it wasn't to stop him, only to distract him enough to give Adrian a change to gather herself again. More dead popped out of the ground, this time attacking Draco Alicia and Artemis. One grabbed Alicia from behind. Draco blasted his head away, but found himself restrained from behind. Artemis had jumped onto Fang's back and was busy trying to keep away what dead she could.
Adrian moved towards them, her sword held ready. The dead moved around so that Alicia and Draco were between them and Demonslayer. She didn't hesitate slicing forward. The blade passing harmlessly through the two humans, killing the dead beings behind them.
"Impressive I must admit." Necronimus said from behind her.
Adrian turned around. "Come down here and fight me yourself." She challenged.
"A tempting offer." He waved his hand again. This time the creatures that exploded out of the ground were not human like, but wolf life. Adrian moved forward, still emotionless. The dead wolves attacked like the wind. They didn't move like they were rotting, the way the first creatures had. As she cut down the ones in front of her, she was hit from the back. She was not fast enough to take on the dozens attacking her at once. Her cloths were reduced to not much more then rags and she could feel the blood flowing from multiple slashes on her body.
"Even with that sword you're not match for my army." Necronimus said, watching her from above.
"Come down here and say that." Adrian said as she was forced to her knees, her strength ebbing. She had killed so many of Necronimus' dead, but it seemed like nothing. With her last bit of strength she felt herself being dragged into the ground, by the hands of the dead. Darkness surrounded her as she was pulled deeper into the earth.
Necronimus' minions finally left her, satisfied that she would die from lack of air, and wanted to get away from the sword, she still held in her hand, as soon as possible.
As soon as the area was clear she felt the earth begin to move around her, pushing her back towards the surface. The ground would not hold an auran, not even in death. It respected them too much for that.
She finally got a lung full of fresh air as the ground parted, leaving her on the surface again. Her wounds still bleeding, her strength was past gone and she faded into darkness.
<><>
"Adrian!" Gelid shouted as she disappeared into the ground.
"She put up a good fight." Necronimus said. His dead wolves were advancing slowly on the remaining of the group. Ice lanced out from Gelid's body, knocking the wolves back, and creating a barrier of ice all around the group. The wolves lunged at the barrier but it held firm.
Necronimus flew over top of the barrier and slammed down onto it with his feet. The ice cracked visibly. Suddenly the other robot came back from the woods.
"It's done." He said to Necronimus.
The skulled robot nodded looking down at the group through the ice as his dead wolves disappeared back into the ground. "You're lucky. You were not our prey." And then the two robots shot into the sky, disappearing over the tops of the trees.
Gelid pulled back the barrier. Alicia sighed in relief. "That was intense."
"What happened to Adrian?" Draco asked.
"More importantly what happened to Multex?" Artemis said. "He's the one they were after."
"Wait. Gelid where are you going?" Alicia called.
"To find Adrian." The ice dog replied and disappeared into the forest.