The world of Dronati is a dangerous one, with undead flooding the world and corrupting the lands. The Keep of Yrart has just fallen to the hordes of wraiths, ghouls, and ghasts. Only a few people managed to escape the devastation, fleeing on wagons or into the woods.


Ea looked around the cart, noting the mistrusting faces that looked her way. The screams of the dying and burning city echoed behind them, but Ea did not feel any sorrow for them. Ea had never been accepted in Yrart, and had been shunned from society. Ea put her hand on her dagger, just in case. She was not sure whether the horde of undead would be following the escapees. A deep, dark sense whispering in the back of her mind. She could go back, she could control the hordes. They were spawned from the same place she got her magic, they would listen to her. Ea closed her eyes, trying to block out the voice. She made it quieter, but it was still there.

Daniel sat up. He'd made it onto the wagon before passing out from all the smoke. Rubbing his forehead, he wished it were quieter- his head hurt. He looked around at the others in the wagon. A few people huddling in groups, and a girl. She looked like she wasn't all human, her eyes were closed and her hand rested on a dagger. He saw the others glancing distrustfully at her, and shifting as far away from her as they could. He wondered why, she didn't seem threatening. Most people weren't as bad as they were made out to be, and he figured she was no different. Even if she was a tiefling, a creature known for causing trouble. He'd met one, once, years ago, when he was a kid, and snuck outside the walls of the Keep out of curiosity and nearly got himself killed. The tiefling helped him get home and then vanished. Daniel never saw it again, but he hoped he'd be able to find and thank it someday. He figured this girl could stand to see a friendly face for once and moved over so he was close enough for her to hear him. "Hey," he said softly.

Ea quickly opened her eyes, finding a man standing in front of her. Ea gave him a suspicious look, tightening her grip on her dagger. Why was he talking to her? There must be some kind of motivation, right? Ea narrowed her eyes, but decided to answer him. *Hi.* That was enough, right? Ea prepared her magic if the man decided to be a menace.

Daniel sat down, a little hard as the wagon hit a bump. He motioned over his shoulder at the others on the other end of the wagon. "They don't seem to like you all that much." He smiled. "I figured you could use a friendly face." He remembered his manners suddenly and stuck out a hand. "I'm Daniel." He looked into her eyes and they reminded him of the tiefling he'd met so long ago. Could she be one too? This could be his chance to find it again! He smiled a little wider. "You're not all human, am I right?"

Ea looked at Daniels hand and scowled. What did he mean, she was not all human, was it not obvious? *What do you want?* she asked. She tried not to sound mean, but everything was freaking her out and she really did not want to talk to anyone. Ea did not know much about the undead, but she was not sure if sound would attract them. Ea scanned over Daniel, wondering if he had any hidden weapons.

Daniel pulled his hand back. "I just wanted to talk." He got situated, and ran a hand through his hair. "I figured you needed an ally. And if you're a tiefling," he whispered the word, not wanting to alarm the others in the wagon, "then I need to talk to you and find a different one, if there was more than one in the Keep." He looked over her shoulders and his, searching for dangers. "But I'm not so sure what a tiefling looks like. For all I know, they look like..." His voice trailed off and his eyes drifted upwards. He stood up in horror. "...Like that."

Ea looked the direction he was staring at. (I am assuming it is a ghoul). A knobbly, white, humanoid creature was running towards the wagon from. A long tongue stretched out from its toothy mouth and lashed around. The long, boney finger clawed at the wagon wheel and broke it, sending the wagon and everyone in it tumbling to the ground. The ghoul gave a ferocious howl, a rasping tone that rang throughout the forest. Eas breath was knocked out of her as she hit the ground. She stood up shakily, wondering what Daniel had meant when he said that she looked like a ghoul (Ea has purple skin, gazelle like horns, and a long, snake tail). Ea pulled out her dagger, not bothering to help the rest of the people get up. She did not want to draw upon the powers of the demon. Not yet, at least. She did not want to have the voice whispering in her head again.

Daniel fell to the ground, and stood up quickly, his hands erupting into flame. He rolled up a ball of fire and hurled it at the ghoul. He ducked and ran over to Ea. "Can you fight it off?" He looked at the others, all in a small knot that was a perfect target for anything. Large enough to hit from a distance, small enough to destroy completely. He ran towards them, calling back, "Distract it! I need to get them out of here!" and started herding them in the direction they had been going. He turned to look back. "Come on!" He made a huge motion for Ea to follow them.

Ea scowled at Daniel, what was he doing, giving her orders? She put her dagger back into her sheath, and pulled out a throwing knife. She hurled it at the ghoul, then turned at ran towards the mob of people. She glanced backwards, giving a grim smile when she saw that the knife had hit the ghoul in the chest. She stumbled towards Daniel, trying to control the urge to let out a giant blast of lighting. Ea looked backwards again, only to see the ghoul pulling the knife out of its schist and preparing to run back at the group.
*Get away!* Ea yelled, preparing to cast a spell. Why am I doing this? She asked herself, These people have done nothing for me!

Daniel watched as she faced it alone, and told the people, "Keep going that way! Go!" He pointed down the road, pausing, and making sure they all listened to him. And then he ran up behind the ghoul and blasted it from behind, distracting it from Ea. He backed up as its attention turned to him. "Any time now!" He looked at her, continuing to back up, hands aflame and fear in his eyes.