The sickly-sweet perfume of decay ran down his throat to his lungs with each deep but slow inhale.  He found himself returning to the ancient cemetery more often than he would have liked, but this many visits had him used to it.  Well, as used to it as one could be.  Even being what he was, he still wasn’t exactly comfortable being here alone, truly alone.  Times like this were when he missed having his daemon, and his eyes closed for a blink to feel the faraway connection he still had with his reluctant avatar.  Still there, still irritated. 
 
His eyes opened, already having been accustomed to the natural darkness of the small mausoleum even if his eyes and markings didn’t give off a distinct glow.  The pure holiness he radiated was about the only thing that kept the undead at bay at this point.  Even then, he didn’t like pushing his luck too much.  Though he’d never tell anyone, something about them just…well, honestly, they just creeped him out.  In his mortal life he’d hunted the undead, but they’d been bloodsuckers, not shambling shells of former beings.  Their mindlessness might have been what unnerved him the most.  In some ways he pitied them, but only as far as a well-placed beam of light.
 
Sweat framed his hairline, slicking a few strands to his dirty skin, making him itch.  He wiped away at it with the back of his wrist before bringing both hands together: cupping them as a shifting pulse of light formed.  Presently it wasn’t deciding on a permanent form, but his eyes narrowed on it in concentration.  His emerald hued eyes glowed brighter, likewise so did the white markings that lined his body.  Something kept these creatures coming back and he was hard pressed to find that source.  For all they knew it could lead to a new form of medicine. 
 
The earth here was always ripe with minerals due to the decomposing bodies providing extra nourishment, but today he wasn’t on his usual stone hunt.  Crystals and gems would have to wait.  Suddenly, the light between his hands sparked brightly enough to fill the entire room with light for one brief moment before settling on a startlingly perfect sphere of powder blue.  His breathing had grown ragged from excitement and he slowly turned himself, bringing the hovering orb with him between his hands.  He continued turning until he was facing the crypt’s entrance and the soft blue shifted towards white. 
 
Testing it a few times, he slowly circled the room but found it only changed when he pointed it towards the exit.  That had to be the right way.  It made him think of the game of hot and cold he’d played with his brothers in childhood.  He smiled, his face showing its unnatural youthfulness as he kept the orb hovering over one opened palm.  His other hand moved out, pushing the door opened and stepping out into the humid night air.  The moon hung full in the sky, and as he drunk in that natural light he felt himself become more at peace. 
 
And then he heard a twig snap.  His eyes narrowed and he quickly looked over his shoulder in time to see the first of what might soon be a hoard.  It was a man, or had been at some point.  Possibly human, but that was nigh impossible to tell now with how his skin hung from his face, latched on in some places by only a singular jaw tendon.  His lips pressed into a hard line and he pulled the orb towards himself, pressing it with both hands until it moved against his skin, through his skin, nestled safely within his body.  Though its glow was still visible through his skin and clothing, at least there was no risk of losing it.  One plus of being able to easily become one with light.
 
There was no need for Torinasu, yet.  For now, he brought his palms together and produced a sword made of pure icy sapphire.  It had been some time since he’d drawn this weapon, but tonight it would do the trick.  Its touch could freeze momentarily and it shone like the night sky.  A quick kiss to its hilt and a blast of holiness completely coated it: consecrating it affectively.  The poor thing… 
 
His blade’s tip dragged lightly against the ground as he walked towards it, creating a glowing trail as he went.  When he was ten feet away he noticed it pick up its pace, eager to attack him, and he flickered out of sight before reappearing behind it; the edge of his weapon slicing through its neck.  His head fell to the ground with an unceremonious thud just before he heard about ten more sets of feet start running through the rings of burials.  His shoulders dropped, it was going to be a long night.

Vinsue came to the cemetery to find a treasure that has been calling to her. She did not like the aria at all but greed was stronger than fear and she keep going. Spotting a glowing sword she walked towards it. She stopped a good 20 yards away and watched as the man decapitated the undead before them. She heard more starting to come and turned as one started towards her.

She let a low growl but it keep coming. She wacked it in the head with her barbed tail. It fell lifeless to the ground she turned to see about 3 more coming towards her.  she backed away with a growl. they fallowed her. She turned and slapped them with her tail again. The three went flying threw the air and landed on one that was going for the man with a sword. She turned and watched the mans reaction.

They seemed to keep coming, and after a few dozen more had been slain he was starting to become worried that they wouldn’t stop.  This would delay his efforts…His chest rose and fell heavily, his stance remaining wide as he looked slowly from side to side for any sign of another hoard.  Slowly, cautiously, his arms began to lower.  Maybe it was finished now and he could get back to the task at hand.  Suddenly he heard more and something greater.  He looked quickly towards whatever it was and his eyes widened at the sight of a dragon.
 
It was coming closer and normally he would have grown more tense, but the swarming dead had now redirected their attacks to the mighty creature.  It kept them at bay with a swing of its tail and he watched, stunned and still, as the onslaught continued.  Luckily its size overpowered their numbers, and with even more luck he came to the realization that this dragon was not an enemy.  Not now at least, not when they had a common opponent.
 
With another swipe of her tail she sent a small group clean into the air.  He backed away just in time for them to fall on a would-be attacker and a shocked laugh escaped him.  His blood was pumping and even though he felt guilty for it, he was excited.  It wasn’t often he got this spike of adrenaline now that he was no longer a vampire hunter, and those aggressive urges came forward in the middle of a good fight.  This was definitely a good fight.
 
He took this opportunity to run towards the dragon, but as an ally, and turned his back to her to help defend her as more came.  Holding his blade in both hands, he fed his power into it, eyes glowing brighter before sending out a long arch of his sword: a great wave of light flared out around them, burning and blowing back another rush of undead.  While they had a moment to breathe he chanced speaking to the dragon, wondering if it had the capability,
 
“Where did you come from?!”  He was still grinning, preparing himself for anything else that might come their way.  The trapped light in his chest glowed brighter, changing in color every so often with his direction since it was still seeking out what he’d come here for in the first place.

"I come from a land far away." she said. She looked at the light remembering when she would do a trick with fire like the light. "Im hear looking for something that has been calling me. And it seams you are doing the same?" She looked for any other oncoming danger. but the light seamed to be holding them off. she than looked at the orb than glowed depending on its location. and she could since his power, witch was much stronger than any sh had met before. "So what are you? your definitely not any of the normal two leggeds I come across." 

Again he chuckled, turning his attention forward again with a light smirk, “What a happy coincidence then that we’re both in the same place on the same night.”  That last blast of holy light seemed to have done the trick: there were no more of the walking dead coming towards them.  He would take advantage of this small break in attacks, though there was a part of him that was a little disappointed it had all ended so soon.  Slowly he lowered Torinasu and brought the blade up in front of his eyes, inspecting its grooves. 
 
Blood had collected, old and coagulated from not having been pumped through veins for so long, and he waved his fingers: the blood dispersed and his weapon was clean once more.  He looked up at his ally, “Let’s help each other then.  I can’t say that’s the last we’ll see of that lot, but let’s take advantage of the break shall we?”  Tying Torinasu to its place at his hip, he brought his attention back to the orb in his chest.  His hands rested against his skin once more and urged it out until the sphere was hovering in his palm,
 
“What exactly is it that you’re seeking?”  What was something that a dragon would want?  Many of them hoarded treasure, and treasure was a very subjective term these days, “I’d be more than happy to help you.”  He smiled up at her, his eyes glowing brighter though his ears were still listening for any possible attacks.  So far so good, and he started to slowly walk forward, his eyes moving to the glow of the sphere to pay attention to whenever it might shift in color.

“As for what I am, let’s just say I’m a man with a very particular set of skills…”  As per the usual, if there was ever a time he encountered someone that didn’t know who he was, he tended to keep it that way for as long as he could.

"Yes it is a good thing we came on the same night." She relaxed a bit as all the mindless creatures were gone. She turned and watched the man inspect his sword though she keep an ear out for any other threats. He had cleaned his weapon and made an request and a statement. "Sounds good to me. and any thing of value will not be this easy to get so I would expect more than a few walking dead to be all there is to face." 

She watched as he pulled the glowing light from his chest. the light glowed just above his hand and it fascinated her. she looked back at the mans face as he asked what she was seeking. "Honestly I do not know what it is that has been calling me but i know it is close and it would look nice in my hoard." like many of her kind treasure has been calling to her ever since she found a place to stay and put her stuff. "Many things of value call to me usually the call is week witch end up things of gold, silver, or diamond but this call is stronger. much stronger than any of the others. and I would almost bet that it has something to do with why the dead are not dead around hear" 

She fallowed as he lead the way with the orb. She was not satisfied with his answer to his kind but she left it at bay for now knowing she would figure it out. 

A soft laugh escaped him as he listened, "And if you don't mind me asking, what is it exactly that you like to hoard?  I've heard your kind can consider different things treasure.  There's one fellow I came across that piled up books, texts, manuscripts: any information set to paper.  It's interesting…"  And he truly meant that, though he did wonder why it was in their nature to want to collect and store things so compulsively.

He quirked an eyebrow, "It seems that you and I might very well be in search of the same thing.  I'm also looking for the source that keeps the bodies here animated.  They're dead yet somehow alive, quite a paradox."  A puzzle he was sure his fellow deity Dalanesca would know a lot about, but the two of them weren't on the best terms and he wasn't keen on going to her for help.  "I'm hoping that whatever it is could help with power or medicine.
 
This,"  He lifted his hand in indication of the glowing orb, "Is what's going to help lead me to it.  I doubt highly that it's one thing, likely a cluster.  This cemetery is enormous and the dead from different parts of it far and wide are equally affected."

His eyebrows rose as he looked up at her, "How good at digging are you?  You appear to be quite capable with your strength and talons."  Moving earth was no new thing to him, but if the two of them worked together then the work would be done twice as fast, "What is your name?"  

"that guy likes stories and wisdom. something I myself value." She knew the power of words. When she was young she would spend days reading her masters books. "Any thing of value can be found in my hoard. I have scrolls, enchanted idioms and things that shine like jewelry and weapons." Some things she earned but others were got with less than noble means. "Yes it is quite odd that the dead are not dead." she looked around at the thought of them. Seeing none she looked back at the orb. "Your probably right the call is a bit strong for one thing."

The question almost made her laugh. She was good at digging. and definitely better at it than a human. "Lets just say i dug my cave in a weeks time. " She knew that if digging needed to be done she would be the one to do it. "My name is Vinsue. Though I do not think you gave yours." If he gave his name she would know he was a god from books she had read. manly the one on how mortals became gods. Though she would hide that she had figured it out tell later. 

Again he chuckled, imagining her mighty talons at work to make her home. He appreciated that amount of perseverance and dedication, it was how his temple had been crafted after all. As they walked he focused in on his footsteps, feeling out as much as he could if there were bodies beneath them. Digging would likely be how they found whatever it was in the cemetery that kept the dead animated, but he certainly did not want to disturb anyone’s resting place. Though these days the dead seemed to prefer being above ground rather than keeping rest. How torturous was it for them, did they even realize it?

The orb faded and he turned again, making sure to keep them on the right path, “Vinsue. Quite an interesting name, I like the ring of it.” He smiled up at her, picking up his pace so that she wouldn’t have to walk too slowly given how much longer her stride was than his. Ah, the question of his name, something that he couldn’t hide once directly asked. His eyes moved forward, “My name is Naota.” He left off his last name, and while he knew his name wasn’t common, the last name would give it away for sure.

“I commend you for that much will power. I too know what it’s like to build your home and it’s no easy feat. Perseverance, I like to think, can be a very good yet dangerous thing. It’s good to see it used for the former rather than the latter.” His eyes softened and moved up to her again, taking her in for a moment more before looking forward. Quickly, he rose a hand up with a quick, “Shh.” The sound of quick but sloppy footsteps was less than mile away,

“Best to make haste, I think another hoard is on the way. I don’t remember them ever being so persistent.” Unable to help himself, he teleported about ten feet ahead and paused, turning himself to keep assured that their guide was still working. Every direction he turned only made it glow brighter, piercing white through the darkness. His heart thrummed faster in his chest, “I think this might be the spot!” He’d have to walk to test it, see how far it went, but to know they were so close had him excited.

"Naota. interesting name. I believe I read it in a book once." She walked to the spot he said was it. the calling was strong at that spot telling her he was right. "The better the treasure the better it is guarded. Them being so persistent says its worth the trouble." She started digging "So where do you live."