Kes found herself listening with a grim fascination. The creatures sounded awful; truly terrifying. She shuddered where she stood and tried to commit the details to memory. A mimic, sounded bad enough but she was horrified to consider that one bite from a spider could corrupt the very essence of a person. How could they guard against that?

She had so many question. It was then that Wendy made his intention clear and she couldn’t help but laugh. He was off, and who could blame him? Perhaps she would not have time to ask her questions.

“I guess, we’re leaving then.” Kes shrugged at the girl before turning to follow suit. He had longer legs and it was hard to catch him up. She looked over her shoulder, waving at the shape shifter an wondering if the girl would follow their example and leave the shores with them?

It was clear that Wendell was becoming extremely anxious at the thought of staying here, which was good. The faster that they left, the better. Attie decided that she would go with them until they reached a safe point. Although she gave them a good description, neither of them had ever actually seen one before nor had fought one. And there were safety in numbers. There was also a little part of Attie that was just lonely and was tired of having to fly everywhere. Attie ran to catch up with them and walked by Kes' side as the Wendell guy seemed to be just fine on his own. 

"The Bohar plains, the void, a swamp area in Onnen, and Jasumin lake are all the monster infested areas." Attie explained as she quickly walked with them, "Everywhere else is fine but those are the four main battle fronts." 

She continued to walk with them, relieved that neither of them were intent on staying. Attie kept her eyes out for any signs of these monsters as she walked with them. Suddenly, she remembered something that Wendell had said earlier. 

"Oh, don't worry about getting me a boat." She explained, "I have gate magic that can take me wherever I need to be. I'm just here to help warn people and see to their safety." 

Good, the pirate thought, he wasn’t the only person with a bit of sense around here, both Kes’tral and the newcomer following in his footsteps. As he made his way towards the coast, Wendell couldn’t help but experience a little frustration at how far the pair had come, only to be turned around. They had walked this path before, backtracking across land they had sworn not to after their experience in the desert.

The dark-haired girl explained that she had some kind of magic that allowed her to jump between worlds or locations, he wasn’t quite sure, having moved with his back to them. Wendell twisted, pleased to see Kes’tral had not held them up any longer. Her questions had been nothing but stalling to his mind.

“So,” Wendell said, “when did all of these strange things start occurring?” he asked, trying to pass the time and ease the tension.

The girl had mentioned that even the gods themselves have chosen to join the battle against the creatures from the void. It must be serious then, he thought, if the gods deemed it worthy to join the battle. What were they running away from, Wendell wondered. It was difficult to imagine some of the things they had been told without seeing them for themselves.

Muted danger, distant, far away and yet so close, in the stranger’s words, allowed indecision to creep in. If these creatures were able to change forms and take on the look of animals and man, was it possible the young woman following them was from the void, leading them into a trap? Great, now I’m paranoid too, the man thought, laughing to himself.

Kes made a mental note of the places the girl named. She knew a few of them, and assumed that perhaps they walked the plains of Bohar. It seemed the most fitting description for the grasslands and forests. The dark-haired shapeshifter was filled with surprises, with the use of a magical portal, or way to walk between realms. Kes was quietly impressed.

“I’m Kes,” she told the girl, “and that is Wendy,” she pointed to her companion who was so eager to leave.

She couldn’t help but look back the way they had come, wondering if this was the right thing to do. She stared at the back of Wendy’s head and made her own decisions. They would follow their path to the boat, the boat for one. Then she would make her own way. Kes was bound to assist the world when she could, to act as a force for good. With the sickness she could feel spreading through the land she doubted anywhere would be safe. But hopefully Wendy would have a head start.

"It's nice to meet you!" Attie said with a smile, "My name is Attie."

She continued to walk with the group and kept her eyes out for any of the monsters. Attie wondered why the two were travelling together. Although they seemed relatively nice, it didn't appear as though they liked each other. The Wendy guy was willing to leave his friend behind without a second thought and Kes didn't seem terribly bothered by that fact. Perhaps their friendship was different than most forms of friendship that Attie had seen. 

"Well its hard to pinpoint it." Attie explained, "The gods knew about this event before the leaders of the countries did. It was only until they told the leaders that we even knew about it. But the public was told it about sixty days ago. They are all coming from the void…I think. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I've heard that is the source of the monsters." 

She tried to think of any other information to bring up but she couldn't. So instead, she decided to ask them a different question. 

"So are you guys siblings or something?" Attie asked curiously. 

Wendell snorted. What a question! He almost laughed, instead smiling to himself, his back to the women. The pirate was a couple of inches short of six feet, Kes’tral three or four inches shorter still. He supposed Kes’tral was very tall for a woman, making them very similar heights. Of course there were stark differences. Kes’tral had striking eyes and high cheekbones, the blue of her eyes not quite as intense as his own, it was the fringe of thick, black lashes that really made her eyes stand out. She almost appeared cat-like, predatory.

The pirate himself was a brute of a man with long limbs and strong arms. Six years on a boat, climbing ropes and pulling anchor, had left him well-muscled. Though a season in the desert had undone some of his conditioning, if anything it had only seen his waistline shrink a little. His hair was dark and slick with oils, unwashed and dirty. Perhaps clean it might look lighter, one could imagine, but it was nothing like the platinum blond of Kes’tral’s long flowing hair. His beard too was thick, black at the roots and lighter at its ends, a strange copper in contrast. He appeared almost hidden under a mop of hair, long on top, long enough to tuck behind his ears. It had been cut short in the sides with a razor, one that had nicked the skin in a couple of places, leaving old hairline scars.

His skin was dark, having suffered years of punishment from the sun. He would not make a handsome old man one day, though Wendell doubted he would live that long. The crow’s feet at the edge of his eyes were prominent, smiling or not, the lines remained.

“Cousins,” he answered, before Kes’tral could get a word in. It wasn’t right to lie, he knew, but it seemed Kes’tral’s dry sense of humour had rubbed off on him.

He checked his compass. They were heading in the right direction.

“What about you, Attie?” Had he said the name right, he wondered, only having caught it on the wind. “Where are your from? What brings you to the plains?”