Duty Session 147: Undead Defense Force

To say that the undead are becoming something of a nuisance around the Ninetails Dominion is something of an understatement. They are in fact a significant threat not only to the Landers who call the substantial lands of the Dominion their home, but also to the Adventurers who serve as their erstwhile defenders. With the recent revelation that players can in fact be conscripted into the hordes of the walking dead, the ever-expanding encroachment of the unliving has gained new and terrifying context.

Which is exactly why, in a rare moment of unity, the three Alliances have united behind the common goal of kicking this undead occupation square in the nads. Word has recently spread of a force of undead moving to assault a village southwest of the Root Town of Dun Loireag. Prophylaxis of the Scale Emblem Alliance has, as a direct consequence, bootstrapped together a band of plucky defenders to push back the latest expeditionary force.

It would be a rather embarassing display of incompetence if members of leadership didn't show their faces every so often to Do The Job after all.

"Alright everyone," The Doctor of Tolbana says, standing next to the humble stone well that serves as the village square. "We've got an infestation on our hands and the next wave is due to approach within a few hours. I need as many hands on deck as possible to get things ready for their approach. With any luck, the people here won't have to abandon their homes tonight. We'll need materials for barricades and defenses, so let's all split up and gather up what we can. Buy what you need if you have to, though I'd hope these folks would recognize by now the dire situation they find themselves in."

Schneider has volunteered to help with the undead threat. That seems like a good thing. Along with these other adventurers, he shows up in town to help organize the defenss. His pockets are empty, so Proph's suggestion of buying things won't help him. And he hasn't seen anything lying around, so he'll help, as much as he can, by trying to strike deals with the inhabitants. "Hey, can I borrow your shovel? So I can dig a trench to help defend your town?" When he puts it like that, the silver-tongued sorcerer seems to be quite persuasive in getting people to part with their stuff. For the greater good.

Mikage has been camped in the Ninetails Dominion for a while, acting as a foward scout. She had faced the vampire minions of the Undead Queen before, but had on duty during the meeting. The Ranger is dressed in dark clothing which helps her fit in amongst the shadows.

Rama, on the other hand, stands out a bit, his pale fur and youthful antics usually drawing attention. At the moment, the lynx is busy herding a group of children into one of the nearby buildings, since they seem curious about the outsiders.

"I'll see what I can scrounge up." Miki offers, giving a nod to Prophylaxis before disappearing between the buildings with a quick motion. The girl is gone for a time, but eventually manages to return with a couple of burly looking Landers in tow. They don't exactly look happy to be there, but each of them is carrying with them a pair of thick wooden logs over each shoulder.

Not being nearly as strong as them, the Ranger follows them, hefting a smaller burden. "Found these two trying to sneak off. Figured it's better we put them to work, instead."

    Having volunteered to help out with the Undead Defense, and having gotten a nice walk out of the way earlier, he starts to move around the village. His one good thing is that he's a good influence. Landers know him in the area because of his blacksmithing training, and he's able to negotiate with a few for materials. Whether it be the good old left over lumber to begin building defenses or the nails.

    The fact that he's go this giant spiked hammer axe in hand may help a little, but his main line is imploring to the needs to defend the village and defend people there. This ends up getting him the material he needs to begin constructing a spiked fence facing outwards. One done quickly. Never, ever doubt a crafter can work like crazy when given the menu option. Especially Giganpor.

Proteus is not fond of mass combat situations. These are usually left to other people with thicker armor and higher HP totals than she has... Or at least letting Scale Emblem lemming into battle like they tend to do. She specializes in... other work.

However, the unmitigated chaos of the recent meeting about the Undead Threat (whatever it's supposed to be called formally) has drawn her attention, what with her having to do research on the enemy and attempt to gather useful data for countering it. Hence, the Imp is present in her usual form, the cloaked and hooded woman standing there and tapping blue-tinged fingers against her dark green outfit.

At the exhortations of the Doctor of Tolbana, Proteus simply shrugs and nods. "On it." She immediately sets out around the area, quickly canvassing through the environs to pick up any local resource nodes she can quickly harvest and tuck into her Inventory in order to cart the wood and stone and ore back in for the more craft-oriented types to turn into walls and defenses.

As she passes Schneider, she gives him a gesture of acknowledgement. Apparently, she got his message. "Yes, we can work together on it." She says simply. "Looks like it will be a team of three for the time being. I will speak with you later and we can work to arrange something more organized than this mess."

    A plucky adventurer has appeared, and that adventurer is Setsuna, though those who would call him plucky may not know him, or perhaps he doesn't even know what that means. Either way he was here to defend the town and maybe find undead to experiment on for research purposes. He tosses a thumb up as he walks towwards some of the shopkeeps, " So as a one time chance I want to offer you the opportunity to invest in your own defense. The one who gives us the most supplies, gets a nice little sign to hang up that says, 'This shop helped save this town.' So how much can we expect from each of you as a dontation to the cause? " Setsuna smiles as he hears several of the shop keepers offer to out donate each other. Setsuna smiles as he tells them where to drop off the supplies.

It's... been awhile, since Estelle has ventured out to DO things. There's still a bit of unease in the vixen's stance, even as the stars and galaxies swirling through her fur and hair and along her dress give a soothing cast to her appearance. But this is the land she called home for awhile, before the Apocalypse, and she's finally marshaled herself to head out and help it again.

Which is what's brought her here, now, to help deal with the swelling tide of undead threatening the Dominion. One of many, by the look of it. She gives a nod to everyone else, taking in their varied appearances, and then looks up towards the twilight sky, and the barest inklings of the stars showing as the sun sets. Out come her star charts, and a fresh paper, as she sketches out a rough horoscope from what she sees in them, and the way the others would be arrayed around them.

After long moments, she gives a nod and hops back up to her feet, tails flicking behind her. "I like our horoscope for the night." She muses aloud. "The stars seem auspicious, at least for the moment."

Then she's off, talking to Landers and giving foxy smiles, wheeling and wheedling to get them to bring out their best for the town's defense, augmenting Setsuna's efforts in little ways - working on the more stubborn ones, and nudging those on the fence into the tall man's orbit. Every little bit counts, after all, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time...

So she gives a nod towards him, and a wink.

It's perhaps unsurprising that even the most recalcitrent and cowardly Landers in town are quickly shamed into putting their considerable brawn to good work given how pervasive the undead threat has become. The two men Mikage found hem and haw through immaculately manicured moustaches but their lumberjackish might is easily enough to help Giganpor make decent headway on assembling fortifications. Schneider likewise encounters a local gravedigger who has recently been put out of work what with the dead rising from their supposedly eternal rest all on their own and all. As long as he promises to 'give 'em hell fer ol' Tumpé,' the gravekeeper is more than happy to part with his well-used shovel and a number of other digging implements.

Prophylaxis is pleased to see Proteus and Giganpor both turn up in the wake of the Undead Threat Meeting (he thought it went rather well actually! Even if one of the NWA's chief nerds almost died). The former is able to locate a number of untapped nodes, having been left alone by the locals and untouched by evacuated low-level adventurers once the shambling horde was detected nearby. Between the resources she's able to gather and Setsuna TOTALLY NOT SCAMMING ANYONE and Estelle's naturally foxy charms, the party is able to accumulate a healthy stock of raw materials.

...But the next problem soon presents itself.

They need to actually /build/ the fortifications now.

"Alright," Prophylaxis nods approvingly, "Step one, done. Step two: We need to take these wagons, barrels and wood scraps and turn them into something resembling a defensive perimeter. Giganpor's got us off to a decent start, but we're going to need to do a lot more work to get it all in shape for the night's festivities. Recruit Landers to help out if you can. The more hands the better."%

Schneider's skill at construction is nil, so all the useful tools he's collected are useless to him. And he hasn't got any money to hire landers to help with the fortifications. So, he's left trying to convince and cajole the landers into building the defenses to help the town. So, it turns out he used the last of his negotiating cred in getting the tools from the gravedigger, and they've left him to use all the gear on his own. "But .. but it's /your/ village." Apparently these landers are not motivated. Not for him, anyhow. Maybe someone else can motivate them.

    Unfortunately, Giganpor looks to be getting tired as far as the construction he's been doing. And well, he has to take a break.

    Especially when he accidently destroys a part of the barricade. Sighing, he looks over, "I need to take a break... I've been through one of these before, and I don't want to stretch myself too thin in case of those ghouls again."

    He grumbles, getting some food to snack on and water as he settles down somewhere, eyeing the spiked fence he was working on.

The prospect of having to build the defenses has Mikage leaning the lumber she'd scavenged up against a building, letting out a breath that blows white hair out of her eyes as she tries to appraise the situation. Crafting and construction are not exactly her best skills.

However, she does have keen eyes and a good sense of where weaknesses are in the existing defenses. "Looks like we could use some shoring up over here." She motions the two Landers forward towards the outer defenses, motioning them where to place their burdens.

"Brace them against the wall, here. That way if we get too many, they'll have a harder time breaching the outer defenses." Besides, telling the Landers what to do means that she doesn't have to try her sorry hand at actually building something, herself.

    Setsuna certainly hadn't scammed someone, yet at the very least but as the boss man says to start putting all the lego pieces together he can't help but look at some of the able body landers and grins. " Excuse me young people, I'm Setsuna, glad to meet you all. It seems to me like this is a novel opportunity for you young people to gain great experience at helping yourself. I mean I could do it but you wouldn't learn anything so come on. You've now been drafted into this towns engineering corp. " Before they know it under the eye of Setsuna the landers have indeed been recruited to do the building for him.

Estelle has no skill in construction either. She can't do much with what they've gathered. But... well, she knows some of the Landers here can do it; they've built houses, they mend fences, they keep the town in a good condition, as they slowly expand in this new, living world. Or at least, that's the impression she's gotten. And even if it's /wrong/, labour can certainly help the others with their work. Right?

So she moves through the village again, letting her earlier augury guide her steps. She knocks on doors, smiles and swishes her tails. "Oh, surely a strong man like you can help erect defenses? I'd be ever so grateful." "Oh~! You look like someone who's talented with their hands. You can help put up a barricade, right?" "My~ my~, you look like a mighty soul. Care to show everyone how it's done?"

The product is their strength and skill, and their payment her attention, her smile, the joyful shine in her silver eyes. And a bit of coin too, of course. It wouldn't do to leave them feeling cheated when all is said and done and she moves on, as adventurers do.

But off she sends all those collects towards Proyeus and Mikage, as the ones who seem to be doing the best at getting things in order.

Stop trying to kill the nerds, yo!

The main hauling tasks done, Proteus sighs and looks over the results. The good news is there's plenty of material. The bad news is more hands need to be applied to turning them into something useful. Proteus, lacking any particular desire to cajole Lander Villagers out from under their beds to help, sets to work. Thankfully, she seems to be (barely) capable of managing to slap wood and nails into a servicable barricade. She's not the crafter of Plant Duck.

    'It's our village, but we've got families too! What happens if something goes wrong? We need to get ready to leave too...!' Unfortunately, Schneider hears this sort of thing (possibly exactly this sort of thing, repeated word-for-word) all across town. It looks like his charisma is only effective on swarthy, out-of-work gravediggers.

The others have considerably more luck. Something about a charming foxgirl batting her eyelashes and used car salesman pitches seem to be more effective on this village than simple pleas for reason and courage. It's hard to be reasonable when such a visceral threat to one's life and livelihood is only hours away.

With the extra labor handy, Mikage is able to put on her Managerial Hat and coordinate the construction of the defenses well enough. The two burly gentlemen are soon joined by an assortment of Landers, all of whom are apparently better at hammering together wood than this particular band of Adventurers-- with the exception of Proteus who puts in quite a bit of legwork herself. They work quickly enough that Giganpor is able to take a brief breather without having too detrimental of an effect on the construction effort-- though wars like these are won by inches, not by miles. Who can say if a few extra planks would have made the difference...?

Just as the final bit of wood is laid into place, the sun begins to dip below the horizon and an eerie fog rolls in from the surrounding forest. Prophylaxis watches owlishly as twilight turns to dusk, and the slow advance of night heralds the thickening of the colorless, grey fog and the coming of the creatures that lurk within.

"They'll be here soon," he calls out, "Get those torches lit and keep an eye out. If this is anything like their previous attacks, they'll be lurking in the fog until they get close enough to launch a charge and overwhelm our fortifications. If we can blast them before they can approach, we might be able to thin their numbers enough to make it through the night!"

But to do that, they'll need to actually /find/ the monsters in the mists...

Schneider grumbles about the slacking townsfolk. He much later grumbles about the fog as it rolls in. He's young, but even he knows fog is a morning thing. Rolling in at night is a bad sign. So, a bit of quite subtle magic, commanding spirits of fire to lend some energy to the torches around the village. The do flare more brightly for the exploder wizard, and he smiles, pleased as the illumination level increases despite the fog's presence. Unbidded, small, torch-sized fires illuminate even dozens of yards from the town, casting their light into the mist. Fire, at least, Schneider can do.

Only after the defenses have been built up as much as they can manage, does Mikage release the two men to seek shelter with the other townsfolk. Then, she takes to walking along the edge of the defenses, checking for gaps. It's a nervous energy that spikes through her, keeping her on the move.

There are plenty of places along the outer walls where the light from nearby torches don't reach and the mist beyond seems to lower visibility. So, she draws magical energy together, forming motes of light that she leaves hovering along the outer walls. Over and over again, she utilizes the same spellcasting, making sure not to expend too much mana before the fight really begins.

"Hopefully that should help." She murmurs, dusting her hands off as she re-joins the others. "Should help us spot movement in the fog, if nothing else."

The work is done and not a moment too soon. Proteus sighs as the crafting loops finally end and the barricades are placed into position, just in time for the Imp Archaeologist to step up onto the makeshift wall and look out over the advancing unnatural fog. "Well." She mutters, her eyes gleaming under her hood. "That's certainly a sight."

But as the fog advances, Proteus is already reaching forward, her eyes lidded as her hands begin weaving. "I don't need to see you in order to reach out and touch you." She says, simply. "If you think you are going to hide your advance with your foul magics, you have another thing coming." A window opens before her, and she begins tracing lines in a pattern. N + , #

"Unravelling of sapience, shattered thoughts to fragment and stick as a splinter in your mind... Begone!" At that, she hurls her hands forwards, the distant burst of a Mind Shock radiating outwards as she attempts to blind-snipe the enemy with her magics. Maybe if she's lucky, she can force the fog to break before they expect it to...

    Knowing what's coming, Giganpor is a bit distracted to light up torches even as he tries to. His distraction causes a small puff of flame briefly, but otherwise it's obvious that he's not all there. He's watching that fog. Listening, waiting. He's been through one of these before, and he's not even sure those torches will help in this case. Just make it easier to see.

    Setsuna takes up a position at the defenses to keep watch and sighs as the fog rolls in. He sighs as this is the second time lately that a weather control spell would come in handy. He raises his staff and says, " Spirits of the fallen, I call on you to be my eyes." His own eyes gain a magical tint as little spirit orbs spread out from his staff. Sadly, the problem appears to still be a problem, as the fog thwarts his spirits eyes to and he frowns. "Anyone else see anything?" He shouts out loud with hope.

There's a long wait, as the fox stares up into the night sky and the others try their methods. She murmurs softly to herself, about the alignments between the stars, the way the constellations near and far adorn the tapestry of the night, above the fog as it rolls in around the town. For as long as she can see it. She doesn't like the omens that hang there in the moment, holding on to her own attempts, thinking over what to do and where to do it as she observes everyone else.

Then, with a nod, she steps forward at that final, critical juncture. She puts her faith in the stars, hands spreading - one of them holding scribed ofuda, preparations for things to come adjusted with a touch of ink into something else. "Oh Stars of Light, our Guides in the Night; in this moment of gloom, shine bright and help avert doom. Shine on in silver flame, as I your prophet proclaim."
    Out are cast the ofuda, silver ink on black paper, scattered above the fog on one of the less-covered sides. There they burst into silver fire, dancing in the air and casting their light as bobbing foxfire.

Prophylaxis is likewise a bit preoccupied. The last time he was in a position like this, they managed to spot the undead coming and ended up overwhelmed anyway. Spotting them earlier is key, and he seems to be dead-set on keeping watch over deploying his own magical talents. He and Giganpor ultimately end up seeing nothing, as does Setsuna, even with his augmented vision. Prophylaxis glances over at the Necromancer's glowing eyes and shakes his head. "I've got nothing here. It looks like this fog's probably magical if even Arcane Eye isn't able to penetrate. The only thing that might work is--"

Magic. Magic must defeat magic.

The arcane lights and sorcerous flames are almost instantly effective when Mikage and Schneider call upon them. Around each mote of fire or sphere of dancing light, the encroaching fog seems to recoil and withdraw. The effect is even more pronounced when Estelle deploys her starlit Ofuda. It's only sensible, such things are religious implements and these /are/ undead monsters. But if this is a magical effect, then it stands to reason that a caster must be responsible for maintaining it...

Proteus' Mind Shock hits /something/ in the fog. Amidst the mingling lights, a sudden chattering of bone is followed by the sound of something collapsing to the ground in a heap. The fog thins as the Skeletal Sorcerer is brought low, rolling back into the woods and leaving the field exposed...

And it's a good thing, too. The scouts and vanguard have already arrived. Skeletons cannot easily express surprise, but something about their hollow eye-sockets suggests it even in the absence of eyes to widen or a face with which to scowl. The skeletal warriors, revealed, launch into a sudden charge, brandishing sword and shield alike. "Take them down," Prophylaxis instructs, "But don't overextend. There's going to be another wave after them!"

As the undead are spotted coming for the town, and a warning is called, Schneider begins casting, working his elemental magic, and suddely a wall of fire springs up, directly in front of many of the approaching undead. He can't cover all the approaches, but he does concentrate them somewhat, which may help the others, and many continue marching blithely into consuming flames. He seems quite pleased with himself now, now that he's contributing a bit more directly to the party's effort.

The fact that the animals have gone silent is enough of a hint to Mikage that the undead are on the prowl somewhere in the fog. Even Rama seems to crouch with his fur standing slightly on end, a low growl rumbling from the cat. "Shhh."

She lightly strokes the feline's head, just about the time that the undead are spotted. Her hand grips over her sword, drawing it out. "Small group." She reports, glancing at the others. "Shouldn't be a problem to eliminate, but we should be careful. There are likely more waiting in the wings."

So, she hops down from her guardpost, avoiding the temptation to channel magic through her druidic sword. Instead, she moves to clash arms with the skeletons the old fashioned way, steel on steel.

Proteus gives a toothy, sharklike grin as the fog's nature is not only immediately revealed, but countered. "Unnatural fog begets unnatural counteraction." Proteus pronounces as she sees the debuff icon pop up in the middle of the fog and the mass begins to disperse. "Take that, you bony bastard." She spits after the thing as the sorceror retreats.

But then there's the matter of the approaching vanguard. "Come on, everyone. This is what we're being paid for!" She calls out, and promptly vaults over the wall to dash forward into the enemy. Wait, what? A window is already popping open: + U K

Unfortunately for the skeletons, frametraps are a thing. Proteus brings her arms up into a counter-stance, parrying the first attack. "Too slow!" She declares, the Repelling Shield technique activating in a burst as the attack is slammed to one side off of a swipe of her bracer-clad arms... And there is a ringing burst of force as she crashes into the group, deploying a spinning sweep to help break the oncoming charge up for the heavies right behind her to deal with the problem.

Their fates have turned; the stars have blessed them, in this moment. Even if the night is yet young. Estelle nods, seeing the patterns above in the patterns below. And she pulls a wand out, a simple thing of silver capped in an opal star, and begins carefully waving it like a conductor's baton.

Her strength is not in the direct offense, after all, and so she doesn't try that. No, she adjusts the blessings of the stars; silver light limns the weapons of the others, or dances as a crown about their heads as she distributes buffs. Something to steady aim here, to assist concentration there. Guiding attacks into skulls and spines. Little motes even curl along armor, as she carefully adjusts the Fate of them being struck (AKA, Evasion buffs).

"We shall hold the line. The stars have foreseen it, and their blessing shines from above. In the dark, the Light of the Heavens is a sign of their Love." Her voice carries, clear and serene, as she chants her spells. "In these dark nights, we cling to our might. And in their rites shall our souls glow bright."

    Giganpor drops himself down, bringing his buckler up as well as his weapon. This is what he was waiting for.

    Bringing his shield to bear, he braces himself as a blast of divine light comes out of his shield to keep the skeletons at bay. At the same time, he sweeps around to smash skeletons with the hammer end of his weapon repeatedly. It's obvious he's not about to let anything past him, and that light shines over the party as well to help them out.

    "Oh no, you're not getting past me this time." Then a summoning circle drops over him as he shifts upwards into his Were Fang form and gives a roar of challenge, pushing on the skeleton vanguard and scouts with each swing of his mighty hammer and axe combination.

    Setsuna can finally see the skeletons thanks to the help from the lights. Setsuna hesitates to cast just yet waiting to see others move. "Here we go then. " He stabs at the ground with his staff and begins to speak, "Spirit of the earth, I invoke you to defend from those that would do us harm." He raises his staff into the air as he mass buffs the front lines defense and more importantly, their defense may have some rocky spikes now that the skeletons can impale themself on.

The first wave, its ambush disrupted, is woefully underprepared and out of position when the Adventurers launch their counter-attack. The skeleton warriors' desperate charge meets Schneider's wall of flame, and are briefly turned into literal bonfires before disintegrating into a haze of red pixels and bone ash. The remaining vanguard piles over the smoldering remains of their fellows, only to be met by a trio of frontline combatants who are more than ready for their ilk. Bolstered not only by a blessing of starlight but also by the solid strength of the earth, Mikage, Giganpor and Proteus meet the enemy face-to-face...!

Limned in moonlight, Mikage's steel scimitar arcs up through a narrow gap in her opponent's guard and severs its spine at the collar, instantly toppling the skeleton. But into her blind-spot, another warrior makes a sudden surprise attack-- only to be repelled by Proteus' perfectly timed imposition. Fists slam against bone, smashing straight through the warrior's buckler and shattering its ribcage into a dozen shards of skeletal shrapnel. Another trio of warriors lunge in to take advantage of the brief oppening, only to find themselves parried and deflected by hand and blade alike, and then utterly bowled over by a transformed Giganpor, who tears through them like a rampaging beast! In the mists, a few bowstrings can be heard being pulled taut-- before a series of arcane missiles suddenly streak through the rolling fogbank, shattering the skeletal archers into so many pieces. "Don't let your guard down!" Prophylaxis yells, "I can see them! Second wave approaching! It's the ghouls!"

There, in the mist, the adventurers can see a veritable army of shambling, ash-grey corpses. Their fetid flesh blends perfectly into the roiling fog, and only the hateful crimson lights of their eyes and their gutteral, pained groans serve as warning...

Before as one, they charge. A tide of shrieking, scrambling ghouls with too-long claws and distended jaws and long, prehensile tongues that trail across the ground underneath them as they lope, more beast than man, toward the Adventurers and the town behind them. "Burn them down!" Prophylaxis yells, "Use everything you've got left!"

Just as the skeleton before her falls, the sound of Prophylaxis' voice hits her ears, telling her that another wave is approaching. She grits her teeth, stiffling a curse under her breath. Though Mikage often tends to take a position as a front line fighter, it is usually out of necessity rather than that being her natural role. Rangers wouldn't be defined by anyone as a 'Tank' class.

"Falling back to support!" She calls out, whistling Rama to her side as she sheaths her sword and uses her agility to clamber back over the defensive wall. There, she pulls out a bow that looks as if it has been re-inforced, badly, with strange bits glued on in places. Perhaps she's simply tired of breaking bow after bow after bow...

This one, luckily, seems to hold as she summons more of that light magic into one of her arrows, the arrowhead glowing with light. With a quick release, it is launched at an arc, falling into a mass of the undead and then exploding with light energy, likely doing more harm than normal due to undead having a weakness to light.

Schneider meets the charging undead horde with his best spells. He knows -lots- of fire spells. If not all of them, then very nearly all, and he ripple fires them one after another, incinerating the undead with fiery blasts. "Brain, Brain dead. Obey your blood oath, come forth from the land of Avalon. Fire of Gehenna, become a fiery blast and burn everything around us! EXODUS!" The undead drop like wheat before a scythe, the blasts knocking some down, the flames consuming them. When a group gets too close, another fireball catches them, BOOM.

This is what Schneider specualizes in, it seems, or at least his forte, hurling flames into the hordes of undead, the burning bodies vanishing into pixels, but the flickering light remaining a while, even as more monsters are ignited. More fireballs after the first leap into the undead horde, and their numbers slowly drop. He chuckles, "Ahahahahahaha!"

Even as she keeps an eye on her earlier buffs, and carefully manages her Mana, Estelle keeps an eye on the stars above. It's a bit of a distraction, but one she views as necessary. At least as part of her persona, and she is sinking into that a little. Leaning in to the Character. It doesn't stop her timing when she pulls up another spell, though, working to weave a strong defense around those in the front line - Mikage, Giganpor, and Proteus. The silver light around them grows stronger, starts taking on a more definitive form. A proper barrier.

"Oh Steadfast Polophylax, Guardian of the Southern Skies, hear these loyal defender's cries. Raise up your staff in the heavens on high, and kee-" Her chant is cut off by a yip of pain, as an errant arrow from the dead's back line flies high and comes down in her shoulder, slicing through her robe in an angry line of damage. Her chant broken, the mana she'd prepared disperses and the active shield collapses back into the passive buff from earlier.

    Setsuna watches as the first wave is defeated and he is about to start cheering, when the second wave is mentioned. The human takes a deep breath as he gathers himself for the next round. When the charging and screaming begins he takes a single step forward. A magic circle appears under him as he activates his prefered spell to use on the undead. " Those who have fallen in battle, those who have fallen for this town. Rise up and take up arms. Defend your descendants from the enemy. " Skeleton warriors would rise up out of the ground and take up swords made of rust and old staves, and charge in to battle. "Fire with Fire, undead with undead," Setsuna comments as he watches the battle.

The repelled vanguard isn't that much of a problem by Proteus' estimations.

The problem is the actual small army of undead right behind. The Imp turns to look back at the massive number of ghouls gathering, and scowls. She says nothing, her hand dipping into her cloak and removing a dome-like object forged of crystal and metal. The complicated object appears to be some form of array of tringular tiles that snap together on a fine mesh grid that allows the parts to slide about on those tracks. The Archaeologist spins the object and lofts it between her hands, suspending it there as her fingers quickly begin twitching and weaving with fine movements. "The first alignment..." Each time she moves, one of the triangular metal shards clicks into place along the array. Click. Click. It accelerates rapidly as windows begin spawning around her, lines being drawn into the inputs.

Click click click click. + ) |

The array snaps into place, creating a gleaming surface that flowers open, Proteus thrusting it forward. "Open the door to light! BANISH!" A moment later, a burning arrow of light blasts forward, punching into the Ghoulish wave and splintering into dozens of seething beams that impale the enemy undead.

    Giganpor, unfortunately, is very much against the undead. And apparently the only tanky type there. So ends up having to wade through, getting a few hits here and there all over the place. It's definitely not one of his better showings, even in Were Fang form.

It's a hard-fought, desperate fight, even with all the artillery that the party can bring to bear. A pair of arrows, loosed by Mikage and by Proteus, arc into the charging horde and explode with all the fury of the sun at dawn. Waves of heat and light cut through the ghoul swarm, flash-frying rotting flesh with power purely antithetical to the fel energies animating them. By the time the twin suns finally set, dozens of ghouls have been slain, their remains scattering into a thick haze of red pixels. But there are more. There are always more.

Schneider and Prophylaxis each ready spells to blast the next wave into smithereens, but as the former completes his cast, the latter is unusually silent. Perched in a position overlooking the battlefield, Prophylaxis risked exposing himself to the enemy-- and he pays for taking that chance when an arrow scythes out of the fog and buries itself in his chest, launched by the very same sharpshooter who disrupted Estelle's spell. He gasps as he falls backwards onto the makeshift platform beneath him, his own fireball fizzling out into a haze of embers even as Schneider's streaks into the fog and detonates. A chattering skull arcs through the air alongside a smoldering bow as the last archer is slain alongside a dozen of the remaining ghouls.

And yet there are still more.

Shambling out of the fog, a swarm of hungry corpses charge across the smoldering battlefield. Giganpor stands alone against the horde, and even with his augmented, bestial strength, he finds himself hard-pressed to beat them back on his own. The creatures scrape and claw and bite, leaving long, glowing gashes across his body as, for a terrible moment, it seems as though the adventurers will be overwhelmed at the last...

...And then a skeleton punches a ghoul in the face. Another bony hand grabs a fetid foot and drags it under as an undead warrior draws itself out of a shallow grave. Responding to Setsuna's call, one dead villager after another pulls itself out of the earth, standing in death to defend the place they called home in life. Reinforced, Giganpor and the friendly dead are able to hold the ghouls at bay for long enough that the rest of the party is able to pile on the hurt. Estelle has a moment to catch her breath, enough to make a try of recasting her active buffs or slinging another spell into the remaining ghouls.

And then, just when you thought he was out of the fight, Prophylaxis claws his way upright, the glowing wound in his chest packed tight with a strange, green paste. He snarls, crushing the offending arrow in one hand while the other holds aloft a very bright, very hot orb of fire.

Because this isn't a Prophylaxis Duty without the good doctor of Tolbana flinging a fireball into a monster swarm.

As the last ghoul falls, there's a distinct change in the air. The fog thins rapidly, the wind scatters the stagnant miasma of undeath and brings a cool breeze to soothe worried minds. Insects chirp in the bush, accompanied by the occasional squeak of a bat or night bird. Prophylaxis staggers down off his perch, still grumbling about the hole in his chest as, one by one, doors throughout the village begin to creak open. Townsfolk peer out into the night with a mixture of hope and suspicion, which soon turn into relief and jubilation. "You did it!" An old man, one of the village elders, cheers as he sprints down out of his home in spite of his advancing age, "I can't believe it, but you did it! Thank you, Adventurers! You've saved us all!" He's joined by a litany of other grateful voices, a chorus of rejoicing Landers all overjoyed to have survived a night of the living dead with their homes and lives intact.

They might not have much to offer, but...

Well, there's a whole undead horde that just got itself blasted out of existence over there, and a bunch of loot just sitting around waiting to be claimed. Maybe something of value can be found among the various drops?

"Good job, everyone," Prophylaxis says with a wince and a smile as he clutches at his wound. "Honestly, that was a good showing. Might have been a little close for comfort at the end, but for an impromptu party put together at the last minute... Well done. Today's mission is a success, and I propose we head to Tolbana to celebrate. There's a tavern that's opening up soon, you see...!"

The riot of annihilation from the Adventurers does the trick. As the undead horde is dispatched, the Imp Archaeologist looks down at the puzzle in her hands, the object folding back in and snapping apart, randomizing itself on its own before she tucks it back into her cloak. The turns, looking to the village elder, and simply gives the Elder a florid bow before turning away, beginning to quietly rummage through the remains. Not specifically for loot, though some of the more intact-looking shards of armor do disappear into her Inventory...

But instead, Proteus seems more intent on liberating heraldic insignia or unusual weaponry, looking for additional signs to pursue her new investigation.

"Tolbana is a long way from here." Proteus comments. "I have things I have to do. I might join you, I might not." Her tone is more distracted than anything else, the Imp engrossed in her analysis of the fallen.

    The necromancer dismisses his spell and the skeleton warriors disappear into digital dust as the spell disipates. Setsuna wades into the remains of the ghouls and looks about slowly as he frowns, "Damn all dead." This decision doesn't stop him though as he continues to walk among the corpses, poking at a corpse here or there that might still be a living one among the dead. At the invite too Tolbana he looks up at the wounded doctor and gestures a thumbs up again before he goes back to searching for the moment.

Things seem to get a bit chaotic in the middle of the fight, meaning that there are points where Rama is leaping on ghouls and Mikage runs out of arrows, resorting back to her sword for defense. Luckily, at the end of it, they seem to come out on top.

Breathing quickly, Miki looks around, eyes slightly wide as she takes in the battlefield. Rama growls into the darkness, but no more enemies seem to come their way. "Easy..." She offers, partially to the lynx, and partially to herself, it seems.

"I'm... going to hide out here for a while. See if anything else starts lurking from the fog." She explains. "Though if you find rest and refreshment tonight, enjoy it. This was a battle well fought."

Of course, when the Landers start to emerge to show their gratitude, she is quick to escape to the nearby rooftops after claiming some of the drops for herself. Nothing against the Landers, but Miki is a shy sort, and too many people can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Schneider claims a bit of interesting armor, or a piece of it, from one of the nearny corpses. He looks up at the Tolbana invite, but nods. He's pretty sure he'd heard about it before, but maybe not if this is imppromptu? "I'm in," he says, though. It's after the fight, sounds like a good time for booze.

Estelle lets out a breath, as the last of the (enemy) undead fall into true death. She takes a moment to study the helpful(?) undead, looking around at her allies a moment and considering what that means... before shaking it off, dismissing the worries. They helped, and that's all that matters. The Stars do not warn of Betrayal, not tonight.

So the fox gives a stretch, arms extending above her head and tails behind her, and she turns to clap her hands together. "Good job, everyone! I never doubted you for a moment; the stars heralded our victory at the outset, giving signs of prosperity and victory if we could walk the path they lit." Her vulpine smile is warm and welcoming, her body language open. "It was a pleasure to work with you all tonight, even if there were difficulties."

And speaking of those, she heads over to Prophylaxis having spied the way he's wincing and clutching at himself. She waves her wand near him, starlight trailing behind its head ass she works a healing spell. "Oh Lyre of the Stars, play a Hymn for those in need and leave them without scars."

"If the Stars guide me that way, we'll see. But, for now, best get everyone patched up before any journeys, hm?"

"Suit yourself," Prophylaxis shrugs at Proteus and Mikage-- and immediately flinches from the attempt at movement. He can at least respect their reasoning though, Tolbana /is/ pretty far away. "You let us know if you see any more movement out here, alright? Don't want these people to start celebrating only for a wandering zombie band to show up right after we leave."

Prophylaxis lucky that there's a handy healer available to patch him up if he's going to be wincing like that all the way back to Tolbana. Estelle gets a thankful look and a mild bow as her spell mends the triaged hole in the good doctor's chest. "Much appreciated," he says, "Thanks again for the help. Having a healer makes things go a lot more smoothly. I am Prophylaxis, the Doctor of Tolbana. Pleased to meet you."

Proteus, though... Is doing some digging. Looking for heraldry, it seems. The doctor shakes his head, being utterly hopeless with clue finding that doesn't involve solving riddles. "I hope you find something good out here. It's a shame we had to use so many AoEs, or there might have been more that you could have salvaged. Maybe we'll have better luck once we thin their numbers, or if we can catch an elite detachment out on patrol."