Skin Deep (Open)

[Lydia]

What lies beneath the skin?

Blood lies under the skin. Blood, which flows so neatly out of fresh cuts. Blood, which washes pain away, which makes all clean, which is pure and faultless and clear.

Lydia rolled her sleeve down and stowed the blade away in her pocket. She always got philosophical after she cleaned herself. It probably wasn't healthy. The philosophy, that is. The cleansing was entirely necessary.

Stepping out into the street from the dilapidated shack she'd called home for the past two nights, the young woman seriously considered her options. She could move on, or stay and try to find one of the animated corpses, which she really wanted to see. Moving on meant new things, and no more nights alone in this shack, with nothing but her thoughts and a sharp razor blade for company. But staying meant a chance of seeing a zombie. She wanted to see a zombie.

And then there was a strange moan.

Lydia stepped farther into the crossroads. Nothing from any of the four directions. Nothing but the same eerie moan again. What on earth was that noise? It sounded like the call of a person, dying in agony. It was a terrible sound, and she rubbed her neck without thinking about it. Ah, the subconscious... What a terrible thing it was.

"Who...Who's there? Is there anyone there?"

Her hand closed on her tome, though she inwardly chastised herself for being so twitchy. Stupid. Getting afraid of the wind. What a wimp.

[Wei]

Was it stupidity or bravery. Wei was not sure which one it was right now. The young journeyman had stolen, I mean acquired a letter that told of a dead drop. It was suppose to be some things that would be valuable for a smuggler. A seal used in a Eturian port and some coin for a investment. Normally Wei would sell this information to somebody else, but this time it was hot. Sheka, the girl who stole the note for him, had been captured while trying to steal something else. Her capture assured that she could not put the note back where she found it and made it clear that once the person she stole it from found out that it was missing that they would come and claim there prize. So Wei had to hoof it out here first and get the valuables. After that he could sell them himself or keep them for use later. After traveling this far into monster territory he was probably going to keep it. Ostia was not far away and he was sure the walking dead would show up soon.

"Who...Who's there? Is there anyone there?" a voice cried out. It nearly made Wei's heart leap out his chest. Who in there right mind would be here. Well other than him and the guy who this letter originally belonged too. Whoever this was seemed frighten or scared, but from what Wei could tell they sounded human. At first he thought it may have been a ghost or something, but after a moment he realized it sounded like a girl.

"Wei", he spoke answering the call in a hush tone. "Who are you and why are you there", he spoke again in a whisper. The young boy had not heard the moaning the young maiden had. He only heard the voice. He was on the opposite end of the shack and was making his way around.

[Lydia]

"Wei," a voice called out. Not a moan, but rather a hushed whisper. "Who are you, and why are you there?"

Lydia whirled around, turning and sidling to her right before seeing another young looking man moving towards her. His eyes and his hair were burning red, and inwardly the young woman thought those thoughts only girls did:

"Is my hair okay? Do I look terrible?"

"Wei...? I'm... I'm Lydia. I'm here to see a zombie. Why are you here in this forsaken place?"

The moan came again, louder and longer. And then a second one answered it. Now Lydia began to feel not only anxious, but uneasy... Two howls? Could it be?

But the sounds had faded into the rustling of the midday sun, which came down as a diffused glow through the haze of the fog coating the ground. The pupil noticed that her fingers were clenched into fists, and that rivulets of congealing blood were visible on her hands, sticking out of the sleeves of her cloak. She hoped this Wei didn't ask her about it. She had no idea what she would say.

Then the moans... Two again, louder, and then... A grating, scraping sound. Like something being dragged. It sounded terrible, and the pupil's eyes flickered around, looking for anything... There was nothing.

She wasn't crazy. What was that sound coming from?

And then she saw them. Emerging from the haze, slowly jerking their way towards the two.

Revenants. The undead. Two of them, their flesh rotting and grey as it fell away from the bones. Their claws vicious and curved, as fetid looking as week-old roadkill.

"Wei... Wei... Wei..."

One hand grabbed her tome, and the other drew out her razor blade, which she held forward as if it would deter the slowly advancing horrors.

[Wei]

So it was a person, than the heavens, thought Wei to himself as he turned the corner and looked at the maiden. The first thing that caught his attention was the blood, but it did not matter at the moment. What did matter was the fact that she was here for zombies. Why in the world would a women be looking for zombies. It made sense for a guy to be. Guys were stupid like that. They always sought challenges and putting themselves in danger was a part of life. Girls on the other hand it made no sense. Why would a women risk herself like that. Was it for science? Was it because someone she knew was turned into a zombie? Or was it simple curiosity. The fact that she was looking for one raised a few questions in Wei's mind.

"I am here for a dead drop", spoke Wei as he looked the young miaden up and down. Then he heard the moans. It was the first ones he had heard and by the sound of it he could guess it might be his last. From around the corner came two creatures out of a nightmare. They looked wrong, dead, and down right evil. Wei's heart sunk as he stared at them. He wanted to avoid these creatures at all cost. Shoot he had not even picked up the dead drop yet. The young journeyman was about to take off running when he saw the young maiden holding out a knife. It was clear to him that she had no idea how to fight these things. From what he heard they were immune to most blows. Zombies don't feel pain and as a result they don't flinch. They do not hesitate either as they do not fear death.

"Bad idea that won't work", spoke Wei as he grabbed the young girl's arm and began to drag her away. Rather than run deeper into the city Wei moved around the other side of the building. He knew it would take a bit for the undead to catch up, at least they were slow right, and he had quite a idea. "Quickly", spoke Wei as he got on all fours on the ground. "Jump on my back and get onto the roof", spoke the Journeyman. If he could get her up there he knew she would be safe, but himself. Well he could work something out.

[Lydia]

"Wait! Get your treasure, or whatever. I... I want to... I want to try something."

Lydia wrenched herself from Wei's grasp and moved back towards the shuffling things. They were... actually not as bad as she'd expected. Just a bit malodorous. Not really horrifying after the initial shock had passed.

"Kwa!"

The young woman threw a discarded brick at the nearer of the two, and looked mildly surprised when it did no more than shake itself and continue jerking its way towards her.

"Um..."

Then the tome came out, and Lydia rifled through the pages before settling on one that had been dog-eared and bore dark stains. Blood, it looked like.

"Kweh!"

A small blob of what looked like viscous, mischievous tar slowly massed on one of her hands, and Lydia walked quite fearlessly up towards the advancing Revenant. With an expression containing a queer mix of inquisitiveness and revulsion, she darted forward and plunged her hand directly into the thing's chest. As her palm stopped against the rotten flesh, the dark energy spread outward, and the beast gave one jerk before it crumpled to the ground. Lydia smiled and reached down to remove one of its claws, and in that moment, the soulless eyes once more began to roll and its maw jerked up with a bone-chilling scream, sending the pupil half running, half tumbling backwards as she echoed and even outmatched the fiend's yell in volume and intensity.

Rising to her feet as both came shuffling forward, more quickly now, she looked around in feigned calm. Where was a weapon she could use? A spike? A shovel? Something?

[Wei]

"What the", spoke Wei as the maiden denied his attempt to get her onto the roof. Aparantly she did not think she needed his help, nor was she frighten by the beast. These were monsters. They were going to kill and eat you. What in the world was she thinking, thought Wei as he watched her walk up to the monster. He expected her to be scewered or eaten, but the maiden somehow incompasiated the beast. He did not know how or why but the women seemed to hold some kind of power. Maybe this was why she was looking for zombies in the first place. Maybe she had some kind of magic that could put them down and she was trying to test it. Maybe... oh no though Wei as the beast got back up. They seemed really angry now. Wei was now completely sure that she was in a bind. The journeyman had no other choice.

"Hiyya", shouted Wei as he rushed forward and swung his axe. The young warrior was aiming for the head but ended up missing and hitting the shoulder of the beast. If it had been a normal man that would have still been a mortal blow, or at least Wei thought it would be. However against the undead this was simply a fool move. "Run you idiot", spoke Wei as the beast swung its mighty claw knocking Wei into the side of the shack and leaving a deep slash across his chest. The young journeyman's axe was still implanted in the beast shoulder and prevented it from properly using its right arm, but that did not matter. it had a left and a partner too.

"D@#% it", spoke Wei as he pulled himself off the ground. His wound began to bleed as the beast grew near.

[Lydia]

Gathering her wits once more, she shrugged off the initial scare. She could do this. She'd done the calculations, read the relevant information...

"No wonder that had little effect. If the creatures are fed by darkness, only a surge of power would be able to stop it from functioning. But the head - if we target the head, it will undoubtedly have more effect."

Just then, she noticed an axe sticking out of the thing's shoulder. Oh, that boy Wei was injured. Oh. Too bad. Well, she could give him her vulnerary, but that would have to wait until afterward. She wanted to run this experiment.

Once more calling up the black blob, this time with more exertion and less stability, Lydia once more knocked the Revenant down. But this time, she grabbed the axe and pulled, wrenching it out even as she fell onto her back. Scrambling up as it let out the same gut-wrenching scream, she ran over to the young boy, axe in one hand and vulnerary in the other.

"First, put some of this on the cut. It's not deep - believe me, I know. Then take this axe of yours and help me finish off the one we hit. The other one will just keep coming, and I want to try something on it before we kill it off. Two is just annoying, though, so let's get rid of this one now."

Lydia sized the thing up, looking at its blank eyes and its exposed neck.

"Reckon yourself a good shot? If you can get it in the head, or through the neck, it's the end for that bad boy. If not, you'll do little more than make it itch."

[Wei]

Here Wei was bleeding out on the side of a building in Ostia. He would not have guess this would have happened this morning. The cut hurt like fire, but the wound was not to deep. Most of the attack came in the force of blunt trama rather than slicing power. However a shot of adrenaline and the chance of death kept the pain away as Wei attempted to move again. Then came the girl again. She was weird and that was putting it lightly. She was unfazed by the undead and even after the other one showed such a great force in its attack she remained calm. Wei was not sure if she was sane, but she most definitely could be a general, calm under the most extreme circumstances.

"Apply this and take this", spoke the maiden in short term, or at least what Wei heard. The young journeyman had his own healing powder, but at the moment it was in his bag so he did not fight it. He placed some of it on his hand and whipped it over his wound. It stung a little, but it made the bleeding stop. Taking his axe in hand Wei looked at the young girl as she began to explain that the head was the weak point. "I know that", spoke Wei as he put his left hand over his chest. My aim was off and well... never mind. Whatever you plan on doing just do it quickly. This place is a death trap", spoke Wei as he looked at the two beast. The injured one was his target, but the other one was pretty close. He was not sure if he could get in a clean shot. Still he needed to kill the thing or it was going to kill her. Why she did not just simply run he did not know.

Once again Wei was put on the spot. He had to make the blow or get murdered it was that simple. Taking a deep breath Wei charged forward with his axe already drawn back. The monster swung its left arm trying to hit the journeyman, but Wei attacked from its right taking advantage of the wound he inflicted earlier. With a single blow Wei hit the skull of the monster. The iron axe dug into its flesh and the beast fell over like a lump of rotten flesh.

"I got it", spoke Wei, but the second monster attacked. The journeyman attempted to block it with the shaft of his axe, but the force from the attack shattered the wooden handle and knocked him onto his bottom.

[Lydia]

"Ah, perfect... Perfect. Now, let me see..."

Lydia ran towards the monster's back, her feet pattering over the cobbles, and then jumped, landing on the fiend's back and wrapping her arms and legs around it, wincing at the stinging from the fresh cuts on her arms. Then she carefully freed her hands from the rotting flesh, placing them on the monster's head, and breathed deeply as she muttered words of power.

The ball of darkness would not be visible to Wei - all he would see is the monster's eyes, glowing brighter and brighter with an eerie, hellish light, until it bucked violently, sending the pupil sprawling on the ground near Wei, even as the light in its eyes reached a blinding white and its head cracked open, steam and chunks of grey matter erupting from it as it slowly sank down.

"Brill... Brilliant. Targeting... The head... With power... Overloads... The basic... Cognitive functions... It still... Possesses."

Then the pupil passed out. Undoubtedly the impact and the strain of three casts in relatively short order was not what she was used to.

Well, at least it would give Wei time to look for his dead drop. The pupil's blonde hair had fallen messily over her face, and the sleeve of her cloak was partially pushed up, revealing line upon line of scars and open slices, as well as the dried blood tracing rivulets down her arm onto her hand. Not the most pleasant scene, but it was Ostia. Ostia was nasty. If she knew he'd seen her arm, though, she probably would have flown into a frantic, panicked rage. But in this state, all she could do was lay as her mind slowly struggled to sort itself out and reboot.

[Wei]

Wei looked on as the maiden took out the last Zombie. It was weird. Weirder than anything he had ever seen. She was weird and not the good kind. Was that Elder Magic? So she was a shaman? Well maybe not a shaman. Shaman's were more powerful, well according to the stories he had heard. Wei had never actually seen a Shaman. He just heard things about them from other people and written it down in his book. Though that was for another time. The maiden had killed the thing, he hopped, but now she was passed out. What in the world would she have done if she was by herself. What was she thinking! "Why is a women using such dangerous magic", spoke Wei aloud to himself.

It was no time for Wei to break down and start asking questions. The pain was starting to come back, he needed to get the dead drop, and he needed to get them both out of here. First off Wei grabbed the maiden and picked her up in his arms. He made sure not to touch anything soft, he was a gentlemen after all. The cut marks on her arm were going to need to be tended to, but he had to wait to do that. Opening the door to the shack he placed her down on the inside and closed the door. He then went outside and looked around for a bit to make sure no more of those creatures were coming. Once he was sure Wei found the spot that he was looking for, it was not far. There was a bag, but he could care less about the contents at the time. He pulled it out the ground and threw it into his back pocket and moved back into the house.

"Alright lets first deal with this", he spoke as he took off his shirt and wrapped bandages around his chest the best he could. The pain had returned as the adrenaline faded, but Wei could power through it. Fear was still in his blood and caution on his tong. Pulling out a bottle of Rum Wei poured it onto the young girl's arm in an attempt to clean the wounds. "Why are there so many scars", asked Wei as he looked at her arms. This defied everything he knew about women. They were suppose to be gentle, smart, caring, love there hair, and treasure there skin. This girl seemed to have a few screws loss in the head and from what he could tell she could care less about skin quality.

"Alright done", spoke Wei as he wrapped bandages around the houng maiden's arm. He then pulled out his water container and poured a bit of the cold liquid onto her forehead. "Hey wake up", he spoke. He would shake her, but ... he really did not like touching a passed out girl. Applying proper medical treatment was one thing, but just touching her was another. Wei's face turned red just from thinking about it.

[Lydia]

"What, what?"

Her eyes flew open as the water poured down to the back of her scalp, tingling as it went. Man, she felt as if she had been hit by a hard punch. Or a Revenant.

But the pain in her head wasn't what she was worried about. Holding up one arm, she saw that it had been bandaged. And it stung. And smelled faintly of... alcohol. So the other one. Wei. He had seen, had he. He'd treated her.

Well, that meant that she was done for. Doomed. There was no way she could do anything, go anywhere... He knew. It was a horrifying feeling, and she sprang to her feet, woozily leaning on the table for support as she began to rant almost incoherently at him.

"How dare you - Look my arm - Not your place - Who do you think you are - Thank you for taking care - I can't believe you would do such a - Why would you even - I have to kill you - Nobody can know - It's my secret."

Lydia panted, collecting herself and pulling out her razor blade and holding it up like it was some deadly weapon that would terrify Wei.

"Wei, you have no idea who I am, and I have no idea who you are, but if you tell anyone about my arm I swear by all you hold dear that I will gut you open and eat your remains."

Maybe he was right; she might have a few screws loose on the inside. But she meant well.

[Wei]

Wei looked at her for a moment. She really was crazy. Then again she was a user of elder magic. They were all known to go bonkers and stuff. However she was a women and women were the weaker of the two genders. Wei could not leave her alone and he could not let her stab him. He was in a pretty bad predicament. The young journeyman let off a tired sigh as he looked at the maiden.

"Listen I don't really care or know anything about the marks on your arm. I saw that you were injured so I took care of it. I won't tell anybody about anything ok", spoke Wei as he looked at her leg. The maiden could barely stand let alone walk. There was only one way she was going to get out of here. Wei was going to have to carry her, and probably on his back. He did not like this. As a matter of fact he hated the idea. However he had to do it. "Look I have a horse that is not far from here. If we can get to her we can get out of here alive. If you don't put your knife away I am going to have to leave you behind and you will end up zombie food. So how about we make a pack right here. I Wei promise on my life that I will not share your secret with anyone, and you promise not to stab me to death while I carry you out of here. Deal", spoke the young journeyman as he looked into the young girl's eyes.

Why in the world was he sticking his neck out for this girl thought Wei to himself. It was obvious she was crazy and by now he had fulfilled his honor code as a man. However there was something about her that made him go the extra mile. Maybe it was because she was a blonde. Blonde women are known to be beautiful. Maybe that was it. Hormones and all. Well if that was true Wei wanted his shut off for a while after this was done. He would live far much longer.

[Lydia]

"...Fine. We are agreed. I will not stab you... And in return, you breathe not a syllable to hint at the wounds I bear. Not a syllable."

The pupil slid her razor blade carefully back in her pocket, then walked unsteadily over to Wei, leaning on his shoulder and taking his arm. The red-haired boy seemed annoyed, but she wouldn't have him carry her. How undignified. Not to mention just plain odd. She wasn't crippled, just... A little tired. Worn out, that's all.

"Okay. I think I'm ready to head out now. Where are you headed next? Despite that unglamorous incident where I screamed like a chicken and passed out, I'm actually quite competent. I use the power of Elder Magic, and I'm an expert chemist. There is not a compound that I won't experiment with."

Competent? Heh, what a joke. And expert might need to be reworded to budding... But it was true that she had no fear of chemicals. She experimented with all sorts of crazy concoctions. But alas, no gold yet. She was still a failed alchemist.

"There should be a loaf of bread in the back on the table, if you're hungry before we go. I just baked it yesterday. Surprisingly, the oven was still functional. Go figure - in Ostia, burned to the ground by erupting lava, the ovens still work. Huh."

Lydia laughed softly, brushing her hair back with her bandaged arm and then looking around, still leaning on Wei. There wasn't much else here, so...

[Wei]

"That is actually quite surprising", spoke Wei as he looked at the oven. He was sure the thing would have had some kind of cracks in it some how, or have been misshapen by the environment, but nope it was still in pristine condition. Wei has to remember the name of the smith who made the thing. It might come in handy when he finally decides to buy his own home. Still that was a matter for another time and another situation. At this moment he should be focus on getting the two of them out of here. "Sorry I am going to have to decline that offer from Bread", spoke Wei as he opened the door. "Nothing personal I don't want to stay here a minute longer. Not only is my axe broken, but I don't really think you can do that thing you did a second time, and this place seems to be full to the brim with monsters. As to where I am going after this", spoke Wei as he began to juggle his options. "I am going to the town of Wasap. There I need to find somebody I know."

She was soft, softer than anything he had felt before. That or Wei's mind was overeating. She was pretty and that was the main reason Wei was helping her. He found that out by observing his own actions. Man he was stupid, but he could not help it. Years, no generations of inborn instincts drove him to do what he did. Impress the lady and get the girl. It was programed into his male DNA. Wei just wished that avoid crazy was in there too, but nope it was left out. Still it was not a complete horrible.

As Wei acted as a crutch he began to walk away from the house and a good ways out. The entire time Wei was battling between tell her she smells nice and preying that his horse was still there. With the land the way it was and the amount of monsters probably around here Wei preyed that his beast of burden had not become some creatures evening meal. To his best of luck it was still there and Wei was able to breath a sigh of relief.

"Alright we are saved", spoke the red head boy as he stopped at the steed. His spare iron axe was sitting in a sack connected to the saddle.

[Lydia]

"Hah. Wasap. Wasap. I don't know. Whatever. I suppose Wasap is as good as any other town. I don't much care. Sure. Let's go to Wasap."[/font

The young man walked her out, and they strolled through the ruined streets of Ostia, lurching as she winced with each passing step. She felt truly awful, and her head was killing her. She would have to take time to rest and relax. Honestly, she had overdone it with that last experiment... But it was so good to know. She relished the knowledge. The knowledge was power, and she craved power and knowledge both. She loved the fickleness of science, the colors and hidden secrets of metals and acids and chemistry... And one day, she would create gold from useless materials. Who knew? Someday, perhaps she'd be famous.

After what seemed like an hour, but thankfully an uneventful and monster-free one, they arrived at Wei's horse. He had an axe, a horse... Ah, what a relief. Now all she had to do was survive on her own - unless he would be willing to take her with him to Wasap? She could use the lift; she wasn't in much state to travel anyway.

"Wei, do you mind giving me a lift to Wasap? I don't want to burden you, but I don't know if I'd make it there on my own..."

There were not many options for him - if he refused, he looked like an awful gentleman and an absolute horror to any lady. But if he accepted, he'd have to deal with her. She wasn't sure how far Wasap was, but from his actions, he either was infatuated with her or hated her. Perhaps both. Honestly, it was difficult to tell with males - they always looked like they were half-asleep or half-drunk. But his body language wasn't expressive. Usually she could read someone by their body language. But Wei portrayed nothing except tiredness. Perhaps he was just a dull kid. Or maybe he was just really tired.

Boys. They were confusing.

As she waited for a response, Lydia brushed her hair back into some semblance of normalcy, tucked her tome away, and took a few deep breaths, composing herself in case he rode off into the sunset and left her on the edge of this decrepit place. Hopefully, he wouldn't be that unkind, but you could never tell. People alternated between being really kind and extremely vicious. It was almost as if they swung between the extremes like a clock pendulum. Back and forth, back and forth.