[i]They are here.[/i] 
Kire had suspected as much. Earlier, after she had taken the gem from the blue corpse, she dug around for the other gem she had brought with her. The two gems, upon close contact with one another, flashed briefly before the magical energy in them faded. She didn’t like how that felt. If the corpse-monster had sensed the gem, others would, too. Ikegai along with them. The only question is when, and how many there would be. Was this what the man had been afraid of when she lit the fire? [i]Save your fires for daylight[/i]. If he was less afraid of them during the day, it was safe to assume that his enemies were the kind to raid at night. [i]Better rest up, then.[/i] 

The rest of the day she had spent getting her energy back. A meager meal of roasted coyote. Replenishing her waterskin from a well that thankfully hadn’t dried up. Then hiding from the terrible heat of the noon sun. And thinking. Now and then, her thoughts would go to the stranger, if he really would leave her alone. Briefly, she worried that if the fight would come to her, that he would somehow be caught in the crossfire. Kire huffed. With that power of his, he’d be fine. The question was, would she be? It was bad enough to expect living, thinking opponents of the same size and strength as the corpse, but that shot of pain when she had tried to remove the gem and rune concerned her. Was it a defense from the blood magic? Or was it some ability the corpse had when it was still alive? At some point when the day had waned, she could sense she was being watched. Him, no doubt, but she didn’t bother pinpointing his location or trying to stop him. Let him satisfy his curiosity, or at least wear him down, along with any other thought he would have of her leaving soon. 

By nightfall, she had made sure to keep to the shadows, not so much to hide from the stranger but in anticipation of new threats. Her palms itched at the thought of waiting for danger to come to her. She could just try leaving the way she came, but she had finally made progress on her search. [i]Let them come.[/i] And they did. She hadn’t seen them yet, but she could feel them disturb the magical auras that had settled into the ruins. She slunk among the ruins and the rubble, finding a position that would give her a vantage point and some cover. Once settled, she peered as far as she dared, and sighted a monster.

By the gods, it was [i]huge[/i]. And it wasn’t alone. The corpse she had fought had been a formidable size, but death had shrunk it somewhat. Clearly, they were looking for somebody. [i]For me.[/i]. Kire curled her lip. Speed was of the essence here. Kire stepped backward, bent her knees, and jumped. 

The first elf would have seen a bright blue flash right above him, right before a gleaming white sword slashed down at him, slicing his neck at a diagonal. Kire landed on the ground on her two feet just as the body fell, then turned to the other two. [i]One down.[/i] Kire leaped back and Jumped through another portal, ready to do the same to the third hunter, but the moment she emerged, she was met with the swing of their blade.  She blocked it with her own sword before tumbling back, rolling back onto her feet as fast as she could. [i]Definitely faster than corpses.[/i]