After a stop by the castle to drop off anything metal at the bequest of Schoolmaster Bookman, Jynx is now on his way to Cemetery Hill, traveling light.

Exchanging his fancy duds for some more serviceable adventuring attire, he carries the equipment in the "vampire hunting kit", minus the iron blade, the crossbow, silver bolts, and holy symbol (since it had some metal in it). Plus, the vials had metal fittings as well. So, that leaves him with a mallet, some wooden stakes … and there's no sign of that garlic that was in there. The mirror, too, was metal.

K'uravel, the magic dagger, is, quite sadly, metal. The obsidian dagger will just have to do.

However, there is still the milky potion that Scarlet gave back … and, of course, Jynx has his ever-faithful fox companion, who has brought along his magical pink potion just in case.

And his lute.

And his singing.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh!" sings the fox.

"Great, Brave Sir Kurai, was wandering through the wood… "

"He was not afraid to lose his head, or have monsters drink his blood… "

"Great, Heroic Lord Kurai, there never was one so brave… "

"And it never, ever concerned him, that he might be marching to his grave!"

Jynx, with pack slung over his shoulder, trudges along the path towards the cemetery, occasionally checking his deed's map to make sure he is headed in the correct direction. He flattens his ears at the fox. "Do you always have to sing when we're traveling?"

"Why, yes!" says the bard, still strumming his lute. "I'm a bard, you know. It's my job!"

The Khatta just keeps his ears back, and checks his map again. "We should be coming to the place soon, according to this. When we get there, you need to be quiet. We have no idea what we'll be confronted with."

"No idea? Why, ghosts and goblins, and things that go 'Boo!' in the night! All sorts of monsters and mayhem … and, of course, let us not forget … one ages-old vampire death-raven that is going to be eager to suck out all our blood!" The fox nods emphatically. "Should be quite exciting, really. I'll think all the better of it once I'm finished running away at the first sight of actual danger."

The fox says, "You see, if I make this much racket, the boogeymonsters will probably be spurred into revealing themselves a bit earlier, thus giving us ample time to high-tail it out of here, rather than being surprised right in the midst of their lair. Pretty clever, yes?"

Jynx's fur stands straight up. "About as clever as a Kavi in an Eep aviary… " He sighs, shouldering his pack to a more comfortable position. "I'd rather put the confrontations off as long as possible. I only want to deal with this Bakula guy, not any beasties he may have."

The fox frowns and slumps. "All right, all right … besides, I guess I can run faster with my lute out of the way." He slings it over his back. "It is nice, though … We haven't run into any more vorpal bunnies since the fork in the road. If it weren't for the prospect of getting torn to shreds by undead monsters, with barely a thing to defend ourselves with, it'd be positively pleasant here by comparison!"

The fop-fox holds up his pink potion. "If I should by chance be assaulted, however, by a Spirit of Intestinal Distress … by gum, I'm ready!"

The black cat grimaces, "I'm sure you will be." He continues along, making sure he remembered his potion as well. He gives a look around, and relaxes slightly. "You're right about it being peaceful, though. I wonder if this was how it was like before all the monsters showed up?"

A breeze picks up, stirring up the mists in that way that would suggest the passing of a ghost to those especially jumpy.

"A GHOST!" shrieks the fox. He's especially jumpy, obviously.

"Its only the wind!" scolds Jynx with a slight smirk. "You foxes sure are nervous types; I don't see how you made it out of the sewers alive, much less this." He plods along, looking out for any sight of the cemetery.

The fox's teeth chatter audibly, as a whitish wisp sails across the path. Maybe it's a trick of the Procession light – Hey! You can see the stars now! The clouds have cleared off! – but Jynx's imagination forms it into a milky-furred female Khatta in a tattered Sylvanian dress … who has no feet to touch the ground. Or it's just another wisp, of course. In any case, it sails over the path, and disappears on the other side amidst some trees. The hairs on the back of Jynx's neck – and on his tail – involuntarily stick up.

The fox's neck-ruff does likewise. He whimpers.

Jynx halts, doing a double take as he looks down the path. "Was that what… nah, just the mist." He licks a paw and smoothes his fur back down. "Come on, scaredy-fox; it's just your eyes playing tricks on us… er, I mean you." Suppressing a shudder, he starts back off down the path, his heart beating faster.

The fox's teeth chatter even more loudly. Or maybe the acoustics are just better, as the trees seem to huddle together more closely over the path to swallow it up … or perhaps just to get together for warmth against the chill that permeates the air and pierces through Jynx's adventuring clothes.

As Jynx rounds another gnarled tree trunk, he catches something white and fluttering out of the corner of his eyes. It's … no, not a ghost. Just some scraps of cloth fluttering from a dried up vine tangled in the branches of a cageroot tree, located right around a bend in the path.

The foppish fox looks like he's about to shriek again, but he calms down. "Oh! It's just some cloth caught in the trees in the middle of the forest. Whew!"

Momentarily, the cat's fur rises up on his neck, but then slowly settles back down as he realizes what the fluttering is. He walks over to the cloth to inspect it. "Wonder how it got here?"

The tattered cloths grin back at Jynx. Or, rather, a feline skull – atop a tangle of bones enwrapped in vines clinging to the tree – grins back at Jynx, regarding him with hollow eye-sockets.

The foppish fox realizes this at about the same time. His shriek echoes through the forest.

Jynx jumps back with a start, tail like a bottle brush! The scream of course, doesn't help any. "Would you stop that?!" He backs away from the skull, returning to the path, trying to regain his feline composure. "It's just a skull; it can't do anything."

"B-b-b-but … g-g-g-ghost … an-an-an-and … I-i-i-i-i-i… " The rest of the foppish fox's rambling through chattering teeth doesn't make any more sense than that.

Still smoothing down his fur, the cat returns to the skull for a closer look. "There is no ghost, just this dumb skull and your numb skull, so settle down!" He peers at the skull, trying to see if he can figure out how it got there.

"B-but … but … " The fox just sputters a bit, as the Khatta examines the bones.

A breeze tousles the scraps of cloth, and a chill runs inexplicably down the black Khatta's spine, even though the bones don't do anything out of the ordinary. As for the bones, they are quite dry and brittle … That would normally indicate that they've probably been here for a long time … but given how this is Sylvania – and on the edge of a swamp, at that – one would think that skeletons wouldn't last too long out in the wild.

The black cat grimaces with a shiver at the chill, and backs back down to the path, making his way back off towards his destination. "Let's go. I don't wanna stay in one spot for too long, especially this one."

The wind picks up, whipping through the trees. It sounds like a whispering voice … but the words are so soft that even the Khatta's keen ears can't make out the words … though perhaps he could, if he cared to try. (And if the fox wouldn't scream again in the middle of trying.)

Jynx's fur stands straight up, and this time he doesn't bother trying to smooth it back. Wide eyed, he perks his ears up to try and listen in on the words, his tail thrashing violently at his nervousness. "Dagh take it." He pulls out the deed and studies the map. "Where is this cemetery at anyways?!" A small bit of panic is masked in the cat's voice.

"Turn back," whispers the voice. "He's waiting for you… " It sounds female. One could almost imagine it being the ghost of the deceased Khatta strung up in the tree. "Turn baaaaaack… "

The foppish fox jumps. "Don't say that word here! He … he might hear you!"

The black cat doesn't even hear the fox, concentrating only on the voice. With a gulp, he ignores the advice of the wind and starts back off down the path. "I have to go," he whispers, "I have to stop this maniac."

The fox gulps. "I … I'll play happy music. That's it. I'll drive the spirits away. That's the spirit! Er … I mean … you know… "

The path gets more tangled as the determined Khatta presses on. The trees are even more gnarled and nasty-looking, with sharp branches that occasionally snare at him in passing … but he can see well enough in the dark to deftly avoid the tangles. The foppish fox, however, is not always so lucky, and frequently protests as he extracts himself from limb after limb of uncooperative foliage.

Jynx takes out his obsidian dagger to clear a path through the thick growth if need be, keeping his eyes wide on the look out for the cemetery. "Stay on your guard; we don't know what we're going to have to deal with out here."

"I beg to differ!" protests the fox in a quavering voice. "Our problem is that we do know what we're going to have to deal with out here!"

The cat slashes at a bit of low hanging vine. "Well, we know that we're going to face him, but we don't know what else he has in store, so just be ready." The cat keeps his ears perked, just in case the voice is still speaking.

The voice is no longer audible … but as the Khatta rips away the offending vine … he is treated to a view of a far more open area. Before him, the trees abruptly stop, save for a few gnarled, dead tangles that stubbornly cling to the ground, despite having died long ago. The relatively barren hill rises up above the wood, a winding path providing a fairly clear if meandering way to the top … a top crowned by a zigzagging fence made up of spiked posts, ringing in a jumble of leaning tombstones, monuments, and ancient-looking crypts. The monuments are topped by what were probably meant to be angelic beings and representations of the dearly departed as they were in life … but the stonework has been etched by the ravages of time in cruel ways, making them look mutated, broken … and even just a bit evil.

Just at that moment, a crash of lightning illuminates the sky, forming sharp shadows across the cemetery, and illuminating its broken wonder for all to see. The stars, previously clearly seen, start to wink out of existence, as storm clouds roll in.

Jynx leaps several feet off the ground as the thunder claps, letting out a loud "REOW!" of alarm. He stumbles as he lands back on the ground, keeping his eyes set on the tall hill. Regaining his feet, the feline hesitates for a moment, then, after taking a deep breath, starts up the path, heart beating wildly and tail frizzed in fright.

"Merrily, oh merrily, we make our way to fame! Merrily … but scarily! We … turn and go back the way we caaaaaame!" The fox suddenly turns around to face the opposite direction. "Let'sgolet'sgowhilewestillcan!"

The Khatta quickly tries to grab hold of the cowardly vulpine's tail. "Get back here and shut up! You've come this far with me, so you're going all the way!"

The fox yelps and protests … but he at last gives up his struggles … especially when something white and faintly glowing appears and then disappears along the path they just came from. "Uhm … uh … safety in numbers, I guess!" He turns about … and stays very close behind the black Khatta's tail!

Jynx sighs at the fox, his breath giving away a bit of his own nervousness, and trudges up the hill to the gate. Keeping his dagger at the ready, he also gets the sack holding the wooden stakes ready to be opened if need be.

The foppish fox fumbles around in his clothes, and pulls out the vial full of pink fluid. "If we're attacked by a Spirit of Dyspepsia … oh boy is he gonna have it!"

"Will you be quiet already?" hisses the cat, looking back at the fox with a glare as they reach the gates. Turning back around, the feline takes a glance inside, trying to take in the surroundings before he presses on.

A wind gusts … and the gates obligingly creak open, showing the way in to a panorama of broken tombs and torn-open graves. Occasional flashes of lightning help to illuminate the major pitfalls here and there.

Jynx slowly creeps inside the cemetery, keeping his dagger in one hand, and pulling out one of the wooden stakes to wield in the other. The cat stays on his guard, glancing this way and that for any signs of threat.

The foppish fox creeps in as well … and then there is a loud creaking noise from right behind the fox and cat…

The ebon Khatta whirls around on his heel, fur bristling and body hunched in an attack position. He takes an instinctive, reactionary swing at the source of the sound with the stake.

The source of the sound happens to be … the gate, which slams shut right in the Khatta's face as he turns about. The foppish fox gets smacked in the behind, and goes rolling, promptly falling into an open grave. "YIIIIIII!" Thud. "AAAAAAAAAA!"

Jynx blinks wide-eyed as the gate slams shut, and would feel absolutely silly right now, except that he's in a dangerous situation. He runs over to the grave, and peers down at the fox. "You all right?" He crouches and holds out his paw to the vulpine bard.

A discordant sound emits from the grave, as the distinct sound of a lute being pounded on something can be heard. "NOOOOO!" shrieks the fox. Another flash of lightning illuminates the scene, as the fox is struggling with a half-buried skeletal corpse that is clawing at him with bony talons. He whacks at the bones, trying to drive them off. "HELP!"

Moans drift across the graveyard, as the earth begins to stir. Over here, a withered hand breaks through the cracked soil, grasping at the open air. Over there, a broken stone section of a mausoleum falls away, revealing a dusty corpse in rusted armor that shambles free of its tomb. The graveyard is coming to life … so to speak.

The cat does a double take, and quickly lies down on his stomach to try and grab hold of the fox, so as to yank him out. "Hurry, give me your paw, or your tail, or anything!"

Abruptly, the fox has a sudden and rare moment of coming to his senses … and he scrambles on top of some rubble, reaching up just far enough to grab the Khatta's hand.

The Khatta gives a tug, trying to pull the fox free of the pit.

The Khatta almost gets pulled in himself in the effort … but the fox is quite light, and as soon as the vulpine manages to pull himself free from the claws once again, he lurches upward, soon landing in a sprawling heap at Jynx's feet. Jynx, on the other hand, shows a fair deal more grace, as he merely stumbles back a couple of steps. Still … his arm hurts. He might have pulled something. No time to give it proper attention, though, just yet.

A guttering moan right behind Jynx gives him just a bit of warning, as an unfriendly creature seems to be just about upon him from behind. Still, he can see another distraction – on top of the largest mausoleum in the cemetery – and by far the most intact – there is a shadowy, raven-shaped creature perched on the roof.

Despite the hurt arm, Jynx keeps his weapons at the ready, keeping his dagger on the non-injured side. Whirling about, the cat slashes at the creature, first with the dagger, then an attempt with the stake.

The pain of the arm thankfully subsides with the adrenaline rush the Khatta gets in the face of more present danger. With a deft stroke, he slashes randomly at the opponent, taking only a moment to size his enemy up as a withered corpse in the parched remnants of what once might have been a wealthy noblewoman's dress. The obsidian dagger slices easily through the dry fabric, and cracks its way through ribs and one of the arms … but that still leaves one claw remaining on the monster, as it slashes in response. Still, these undead creatures are not the most spry of adversaries, and with a reflexive duck, the Khatta evades harm … for now. But more enemies are slowly shambling in, and it will be harder to handle more than one at a time.

Jynx makes a slash at the corpse's midsection, trying to cleave the undead abomination in two. He makes a momentary glance up at the mausoleum, trying to get a better look at the raven-like creature.

The off-hand attack with the wooden stake finds its mark, collapsing the chest of the skeletal attacker. The stake doesn't seem to do that much, really, but the force of the Khatta's attack is enough to shatter the ribcage, as the skull rolls to the ground, one arm falls to thrash about in the dirt … and the two legs, amidst the remnants of the dress, wobble about unnaturally.

Lightning flashes, revealing the creature to be …

"Oh! It's Schoolmaster Bookman!" exclaims the foppish fox, as he points upward, taking a break from whacking a skeletal dog (non-morphic) with his lute. "He must be here to give us advice!" He waves frantically. "Hullo, Schoolmaster Bookman! What do we do now?!?"

"Schoolmaster Bookman? Out here?" The feline looks skeptical. Readying his weapons, he makes a break for the mausoleum, trying to avoid the various ghoulies, and making attacks at any who get too close for comfort.

The Khatta manages to make his way pretty cleanly through the loosely formed mob, as they haven't yet converged upon his position. A few lucky claw-swipes manage to snare at the edges of his clothing, resulting in a few tears and rends, but no actual damage to the Khatta's hide. Behind him, Jynx can hear the terrified shrieks of the foppish fox, as he fends off his attackers with wild flails of his lute – and his loud voice, of course.

Above, another lightning flash illuminates the top of the mausoleum. Yes, it looks like Schoolmaster Bookman … except that his eyes glow red in a way that Korvs' eyes shouldn't. He looks down from his high perch, and caw-laughs at Jynx, his whole body rising and falling with the laughter. "No metal in the Cemetery!" he caws. "No metal in the Cemetery! Cawhawhaw!"

"Follow me, you dumb fox! Don't just stand there!" Jynx calls back at the vulpine. As the Khatta gets nearer to the Korv to see his eyes, he skids to a halt, blinking at the sight. "M-mister Bookman, is that you?" He keeps his weapons up high, trying to keep his tail in one spot.

"Why, yes, Lord Kurai … and no! Bookman is the name, but not exactly," caws the crow. "Perhaps it would be better to call me by my proper name. Horatio Bakula … " He does a mocking flourish with one wing from his perch, looking down upon the Khatta. "At your … service!" And then, he rears back, caw-laughing maniacally, his voice punctuated by booms of thunder that echo across the hillside.

The cat shiver, taking a few steps back with a glance to make sure he isn't being followed. "S-so it was y-you all along? Y-you told me not to bring any metal; you t-tricked me!"

The trouble is … Jynx is being followed, as the occupants of the cemetery slowly close in on him with shambling steps. The fox can't be seen, though his continuing shrieks indicate that he's still alive … at least for now.

"Why … yes … as a matter of fact, I did!" boasts the crow. "And it's quite fortunate, really, as I've fallen so dreadfully out of practice with the finer arts of deceit. You see, I've gotten a bit spoiled on these villagers, out here so far from outside influences. I raise their children, I teach them what is 'normal' … and they wouldn't suspect a thing of dear Schoolmaster Bookman! But you … why, you almost tripped me up a few times. But you were raised to be a trusting young thing. At least, trusting to those who talk to you nicely."

Whirling back to face the gate and the monsters, the cat tries to find a clear path back out of the cemetery again, slashing at any of the shamblers that get too close. "But why? What did these people ever do to you? Or me for that matter?"

"You? Oh, you personally? Not a thing, really. Not a blessed thing! But eventually you would have," says the crow, tut-tutting as he wags his beak from side to side. "And I can't have that. I have things well under control here. And if the occasional traveler disappears … well, that's Sylvania for you. And if there aren't enough travelers … well, life can be hard, and accidents happen. And, that bumbling Ysnor … he had to tell you about my little visit. Well … he won't make that mistake again. Even if you didn't make the connection."

Jynx's attempts to cut a path through the skeletons and zombies are not making much headway. So far, about all he's managing to do is keeping himself clear of their slashing claws, and to keep them at bay for the most part. No torch to burn them with … no holy water … no holy symbols … no magical dagger … just an obsidian dagger and claws. It doesn't look like a fair match … and while the undead don't grow weary, who knows how long Jynx's endurance will last?

Realizing that he is getting nowhere fast, Jynx decides to take the alternate route, and heads straight for the unholy Korv, readying the impaling stake in his good hand. "You won't lay a claw on him, you moth eaten pillow stuffing!"

Alas, the path to the Korv is up … and Jynx doesn't have wings – quite unlike the Korv. He also doesn't have anything like, say, a crossbow with silver tipped bolts.

"Now, now … I'm afraid it's a wee bit late for that," chides the Schoolmaster. He seems not the least bit concerned at the Khatta's vain attempts to scale the wall of the mausoleum.

Hissing in frustration, the Khatta looks about wildly for any way to get at the bird. Finally, with no other idea coming to mind, the cat readies the wooden stake like a dagger, and lobs it at Bakula as hard as he can.

For a moment, the Korv's eyes go wide in alarm, as the wooden stake expertly sails through the air, aimed dead for his chest …

… but then the perfectly aimed stake … hits his chest … and bounces off. The Korv shakes his head, then caw-laughs again.

"Nice try, Kurai … but you really need to put a mallet behind it! You just don't quite have the strength … " He shakes his head again. "How about … I make you a deal … since you really haven't any other choice than to join my servants."

Jynx makes no reply, just angrily glancing back and forth between the Korv and the undead minions, tail trashing as he thinks.

"It works like this. I let your grandmother and her lackeys go, unharmed. I let you go," caws the Korv. "And you never, ever, ever come back. And if you think yourself clever to try to send any friends to deal with me, rest assured that I will be more than prepared for them … and quite without mercy."

"Oh yes," caws the Korv. "And you, in your generosity, deciding that Sylvania just isn't for you … sign over the deed to Blackshire to your dear friend, Horace Bookman."

The Khatta glares up at the Korv, tail still thrashing. "And what becomes of the people who live here?"

The Korv shrugs. "That will no longer be your concern, young Kurai. Surely you don't think they'd fare any better if you were … well … dead … now do you?"

"Of course … you wouldn't be exactly dead. You'd still move around. Make a few appearances if need be, once I've fixed you up a bit to be presentable," the Korv rambles, looking as if he's quite enjoying this.

The undead monstrosities seem to be slowing a bit in their advance, since Jynx can't run off anywhere right now. But there's no telling when they might renew their assault again. The Korv, meanwhile, seems to be quite amused, chuckling to himself in his reverie.

Pinning Jynx in is the wall of a large, tall mausoleum, with leering gargoyles peering down from him, high above. Or at least, they look something like gargoyles, but they might have once been angels. A few broken tombstones jut upward from the ground, or lie at Jynx's feet, but none tall enough to afford the Khatta access to the rooftop – In fact, some of them might have been forcibly knocked down to ensure that.

There's an open pit just to one side, but thankfully there are no corpses moving about in it, and it's clearly delineated enough that Jynx isn't likely to accidentally stumble into it. The lumbering zombies, however, greatly limit Jynx's movement opportunities any further than that.

The Korv at last finishes his laughter, and looks balefully down at Jynx with his eerily glowing eyes. "So … what will it be, young Kurai?"

Tail thrashing about, Jynx gives no immediate reply, instead looking up to the top of the mausoleum in thought.

Fumbling a paw through his bag, Jynx pulls out the chaos charm and loops it around his neck, making sure that it is plainly visible. He then removes his belt from around his waist, loops it, and tries to lasso one of the lower gargoyle statues. "No deal, Horace."

The Korv blinks, apparently surprised by this sudden and surely suicidal act of bravado. "You surprise me, young Kurai. But no matter … this shall end here. After you are gone, and your grandmother, the rest of your family will be easily dealt with."

Jynx's lasso throw is unsure, given the tenseness of his situation, the awkwardness of his "weapon", and his unfamiliarity with lassos – let alone throwing belts. Still … somehow … it works! If ever there was a time for Jynx's bad luck to crop up, it would seem like it ought to be about now … but with a quick tug and a burst of adrenaline (Jynx's strained arm protesting all the while), the Khatta is soon atop one of the gargoyles midway up the mausoleum wall!

If only Jynx had another such lasso handy, he just might be able to make it the rest of the way. Maybe a heroic leap could do it. But whatever, it had best be quick, as a cracking noise right below Jynx's feet reminds him.

The skeletons, meanwhile, crowd in at the base of the mausoleum, making a safe return to the ground quite out of the question just now.

The death-raven caws in alarm, spreading his wings, preparing to take flight…

Without any other type of lasso available, Jynx crouches, then pushes up with all his might, leaping up and trying to grab hold of anything to haul him up on top of the structure.

The black Khatta leaps upward, reaching out and grabbing onto a greatly eroded winged statue that once may have looked like a pleasant cherub, but now has odd holes etched into its form here and there, making it a horrid vision indeed. But right now, it is all that is holding Jynx up from a plummet down to the throng of monsters below, as he struggles to pull himself upward. The gargoyle he was previously standing on cracks and falls, smashing one of the skeletons on the skull. One down. Countless to go.

Grabbing one of the stakes from his pack, Jynx attempts to wedge it into the wall to use as a support, while hanging on to the gargoyle with his free paw.

The stake works nicely for this purpose, being made of very sturdy wood … and the seams of the stone blocks have been worn away enough to give enough space to wedge the spike in to get a fairly firm anchor. Pulling the stake back out, however, will be a bit harder. It's a good thing Jynx has five more in his pack.

While Jynx focuses on this, however, the evil Korv takes flight into the air … now definitely quite out of reach. And … his grip … on the gargoyle … is slipping!

As if that weren't enough, in all the jostling around, the teardrop-shaped amulet around Jynx's neck manages to get wedged against his chest. The sharp point digs in just a bit … not enough to wound him, but enough to hurt. Thankfully, it doesn't distract him enough to lose his grip.

Yet.

Jynx grabs hold of the stake and hangs from it, letting go of the gargoyle. He takes another one out and tries to wedge it likewise into the wall and pull himself upwards, closer to the top.

Alas, in Jynx's fumbling in such awkward quarters, he loses grip of the stake. It plummets to the ground, into the throng of zombies that swarm and claw mindlessly at the base of the large mausoleum. The fourth stake, however, finds its mark – not quite as perfectly as the second, but nearly so.

The black Khatta pulls himself up on this stake, and tries once again with another to get himself closer to the top of the mausoleum.

The fox's shrieks can no longer be heard. Instead, there is just the moaning of the zombies, the cawing of Bakula from the skies above … and the occasional crash of thunder. The winds pick up with fierce intensity, crying as they whip through the gnarled trees surrounding Cemetery Hill.

It's not the best attempt, and Jynx's scrambling up onto the roof is marked by almost losing his grip … but what matters is that he's finally up there and not dangling from a gargoyle or some wooden pegs. His muscles threaten to give out from exhaustion.

A lightning flash limns the form of the raven, giving it a momentarily spectral appearance, as it circles about, high above Jynx's position.

If there's any hope in this … it's that none of the zombies appear to be able to fly.

Wobbling on his feet, the Khatta sinks tiredly to the ground on his aching muscles. Figuring now is as good a time as any, he pulls out the healing potion from his pack, pulls out the stopper, and downs the contents.

The Khatta's throat tingles as the strange milky elixir makes its way down his gullet…

The black feline downs half of the potion, hoping that it will be enough to at least make him feel less beaten.

At first, all it does is make him feel tingly … like he's about to get struck by lightning. But, no, it's just the gargoyle next to and above him that gets struck by lightning.

The gargoyle is blasted into bits, small pieces of which rain down on the Khatta's head, but his reflexes are sufficient for him to seek cover without spilling the remnant of the elixir in the process. His ears are ringing terribly … but the sensation fades … and … well, really, he's feeling a lot better now. A lot better.

With his new sense of health, Jynx regains his feet, and pulls the mallet and a remaining stake from his pack. "Come down here, you coward!"

The crow laughs from his high vantage-point. "Oh ho! So you expect me to just come down, eh? Shall I conveniently spread my wings out of the way to give you a clear shot for my heart? Should I help you by holding the stake to steady it?" He then breaks into another bout of that chilling, unnatural laughter of his. Add that, of course, to the fact that somehow his voice is carrying through a thunderstorm.

The air seems to positively tingle with unnatural energies. The roiling storm rumbles, and the lightning turns the sky blood red at frequent intervals. This can be no natural storm – not even in Sylvania.

It sends an unpleasant chill through the Khatta's body … and he can especially feel tingling sensations in the half-full elixir he holds in one hand, and the teardrop-shaped fist-sized amulet given to him by the Priest-Queen. Thankfully, however, there's no more of that "about to be struck by lightning" tingling sensation just yet … even though, with the destruction of that gargoyle, the Khatta is standing on the highest point on the highest hill in the visible countryside.

The black Khatta notices the tingling coming from the potion and the amulet, and gets an idea. Kneeling down, he takes out his black dagger, and taking the vial, pours some of the milky potion on its blade. Standing back up, he takes aim at the Korv, and lobs the obsidian weapon at it as hard as he can.

"You cannot possibly succeed!" caws the unearthly crow. "This is your last chance! Surrender, and do as you are bidden, and you will be spared! The backwards people of this place are of no concern to you! Return to your comfortable home in Rephidim – This is no pla – "

The potion-tainted dagger soars through the air, guided by the best effort that the Khatta could possibly put into this most desperate of attacks in this most dire of situations.

It finds its mark … square in the chest of the unearthly Korv.

The sky explodes with bursts of red lightning that trace across the ground, searing the earth and the gnarled cageroot trees that stubbornly cling to it even in death. The zombies at the base of the mausoleum howl in anguish as one, joined by the echoing cries of Bakula's dying shrieks, amplified in the thundering booms of the storm itself.

As countless streams of unholy energy course from the storm, lancing the ground, tombstones in their path are shattered, sending bits of stony shrapnel exploding in their wake.

Jynx throws himself down flat onto the roof of the structure, covering his ears with his paws, and squinting at the scene to keep the wind from his eyes.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The thundering echoes become overwhelming in their intensity, as the cemetery explodes around the Khatta … then gives way to darkness.

At last, the darkness gives way to light … though at first an uncomfortable and unwelcome light, accompanied by a throbbing headache and countless aches. Despite the very impressive potency of that healing potion … apparently it does little to prevent future injuries sustained after consumption.

Still, as the Khatta lies amidst the broken remnants of the mausoleum, and as he's able to figure out that his bones are, yes, still intact … he's alive. Bruised, but alive.

Jynx slowly forces his eyes open, clutching a paw to his pounding head. He tries to sit up, and take a dazed look around.

The sun is blocked out by a vaguely vulpine silhouette. "Oh! He's alive! Bruised, but alive!"

As the Khatta's vision focuses a bit better, the surroundings make a little more sense. Right in front of him is a rather sad-looking vulpine whose once-fine attire (thanks to the Fashion spell) is definitely going to need replacing – or a lot of patching, at the very least.

Amazingly, the bard's lute is still intact. It must be nigh-indestructible.

"We did it!" exclaims the bard, looking to be in much better spirits now that it's obvious that the Khatta isn't dead. "We vanquished the monsters! Oh! And I found something." He digs around in his satchel.

The Khatta blinks at the foxish bard, his eyes opened only to slits as they slowly focus. Without a word, he peers at the vulpine's bag.

The fox pulls out a crystal shard that glitters in the morning sunlight. (A sunlight, incidentally, unhindered by the low-hanging clouds that usually blanket the sky about this time of day. It's probably a fluke.) "I found this in the rubble. Isn't it pretty? Can I keep it? I think it would make a really nice paperweight. And a great conversation piece! Although it would probably work equally well as a doorstop."

Eyes wide open now, Jynx stumbles to his feet and snatches the crystal away from the fox, face with a look of disbelief. "Th-this is it, the shard!" He looks around the ruined cemetery. "Did we get him? Is he gone?"

"If we didn't get him," says the foppish fox, "then we sure managed to get just about everything else! Personally, I suspect that all that screaming and exploding was the sort of thing that traditionally accompanies the destruction of a ridiculously powerful unholy demon-thing such as Bakula."

The foppish fox blinks, belatedly registering that he's not holding the shard anymore. "Hey!"

The Khatta continues to stare at the shard for quite a while, still not believing that he actually has it in his paws. Then, pulling himself upright, he slowly and painfully starts off towards the gate, tail-tip twitching (albeit painfully), hinting at a mild delight, and major relief. "I'll bet," he says tiredly. The cat turns back to the fox. "Well, are you coming, or are you just going to build a house here?"

The fox looks about and seems almost thoughtful. "You know … this is a wonderful view… " Then, he shakes the thought out of his head, and scampers along the way. He pauses for a moment, though, something catching his eye. Stooping down, he picks up a wedge of obsidian. "Hmm," says the fox, as he stuffs it into his satchel, then dashes after the black Khatta once more.

A good thing the foppish fox thought to pack a lunch (and an overly large one) to eat along the way, although he whined and fussed a bit about sharing it. A short journey and several clashes with fuzzy fauna later, the two battered adventurers reach the crater in the center of the Whispering Wood, where a pit in the center bares molten-looking crystal structures of unknown purpose and origin.

"Hurry!" exclaims the foppish fox. "I see a bunch of fuzzy white things over there, and they're headed this way! Those monsters! They're everywhere! It's as if they multiply like … uhm … never mind that. Just hurry!"

Jynx eyes the crystal, and, reaching into his pack, pulls out the shard. He slowly and warily walks up to the crystals in the center of the pit, wishing he knew where his dagger was at the moment. "Get ready to run if this doesn't work!" he calls back to the fox. Holding the crystal over his head, he thrusts it down into the crack, making a silent prayer to the Star.

The foppish fox says, "Oh, don't worry! I think I'll run anyway, just to be on the safe side!" He chances a glance into the center of the pit, watching as the crystal wedge slides into place … and begins glowing.

The Khatta takes a few cautious steps back, watching the scene unfold.

The wedge's glow spreads outward, flowing through the crystal veins of the strange and ancient structure.

The foppish fox strums his lute, and sings, "All right; Deed's done! You fight … I'll run!" And with that, he dashes away.

More and more forest animals emerge from the surrounding woods, and slowly converge on the crater. The foppish fox lets out a startled "eep!" as he finds that there's no clear avenue of escape after all … and he skips back. "Second thought … all for one, one for all!"

Jynx's ears fold back as he sees all the beasties converge on the crater.

The bunnies are getting closer … their beady little red eyes glittering in the light cast from the center of the pit … but then, they slow down … and stare.

Likewise, the other creatures slow their approach, and then just stand there, mesmerized.

The fox sputters, "Now's your chance! You can cut a path of slashing destruction … and … and … we can get out of here!"

"I don't have a weapon!" yells the cat. "And shut up, something's happening… I don't think they're going to attack… "

"Well, you've got that big crystal doorst – oops. Never mind that," says the fox. "Not attack? What?" He looks at the creatures, blinking in confusion.

The red lights in the eyes of the bunnies – and the other forest creatures – slowly fade.

"Wow!" says the fox. "That's pretty good! How'd you do that? Did you pick up some magic, like your great-umpteen-great grandpapa?"

Jynx blinks. "I… I don't think so." He looks back to the center of the crater. "It has something to do with the crystal!"

The foppish fox says, "Really? You think they're back to normal? Of course, if they are, there's one sure way to find out."

Pulses of light course through the crystal in a strange rhythm. Jynx simply hasn't the expertise to make much sense of it … but maybe this is how it's supposed to look … although perhaps being under a few feet of dirt rather than being in an exposed crater might help eventually.

The black cat slowly makes his way towards the animals, saying another one of those prayers…

Some of the rabbits wiggle their noses, and flick their ears. One takes a little hop backwards.

"Aw, if you're going to do it … you got to do it right!" The foppish fox then charges into the throng of bunnies, twanging his lute discordantly and shouting, as loud as he can, "BOOGABOOGABOOGABOOGA!"

In a shot, the rabbits turn about, scrambling over each other as they scurry and bolt away. The deer stampede away as well, and the birds take to the air immediately!

Jynx is startled a bit by the fox as well, but doesn't bolt. "Well… I guess that's the end of them." He turns to face the crystal again. "But what about this thing?"

The fox shrugs. "Uhm … call in a specialist? They've got specialists for everything. I say it's fixed, the critters are friendly and easily spooked again, and you've saved the countryside from an evil army of undead nasties. Not a bad day's work, really. This'll make one dandy of a ballad, you know!"

The Khatta walks to the crater center again, and studies the crystal. "But what if it gets broken again?"

The fop-fox idly picks a bit of lunch out of his teeth with a shard of obsidian. "Eh … I dunno … uhm … buy up a few bottles of glue just in case?"

The fox shrugs. "And hope whatever made this crater doesn't hit the crystal again, of course."

Jynx notices the obsidian out of the corner of his eye, and his attention is momentarily taken away from the crystal. "Hey, my dagger! Stop that!" He grabs at the obsidian shard.

"YEOWCH!" cries the fox, as the shard is abruptly yanked out of his mouth. "Ow ow ow! My lip! I'm blee – Oh! I'm not bleeding. But I could be! What's this with you swiping every shiny rock I find anyway, eh? You're not part Vartan, are you?"

It's not exactly a dagger anymore. As demonstrated, though, it could make a fairly decent toothpick.

"Not that I know of," grumbles the cat as he places the shard into his pack. It might not be a weapon anymore, but it has sentimental value. "I guess we'd better head back; looks like there's nothing else to be done here."

The fox shrugs. "Well … after you! I'll just follow along and sing your praises." With that, the foppish fox swings his lute around, and starts strumming.

Slinging his pack back over his shoulder, and making sure his chaos talisman is prominently displayed around his neck, the black Khatta starts off down the path to the castle. It seems strangely… pleasant? The feline takes in the sunshine on his dark fur, and doesn't even protest as the fox belches out his songs.