|
|
Post by slykirby on Nov 17, 2014 6:27:43 GMT -6
B. I think we can take them.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2014 9:09:13 GMT -6
B. I think we can take them. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2014 10:44:19 GMT -6
Why not B
|
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Nov 25, 2014 2:15:43 GMT -6
B won? That's... surprising. But it makes this next round of voting that much more interesting.
---------------------------
As you approach the revenants gathered in front of the council chambers, you lift your axe without breaking stride. "Don't let these weaklings slow us down! Break through!"
As you pass one revenant, you swing Armads in a wide arc, letting your momentum do most of the work. The revenant staggers backward, chunks of its gooey flesh sent flying from the impact. Dan swoops in and finishes it off, lifting it from the ground on the tip of his spear. It dissolves in mid-air, leaving nothing more than a small puddle and a puff of purple smoke. Wendy, Rain, and Claudia keep pace with you, driving through the horde.
You don't concern yourself with finishing any of the revenants, nor do you go out of your way to even attack the ones not in your way. By the time they respond, you're already well past them. The infantry seem to be picking them off as they expose their backs while chasing you and the rest of the cavalry.
A revenant suddenly springs from a pool you hadn't noticed, directly in front of you. Marth leaps back, barely avoiding his slashing claws. You release the reins for a second, gripping Armads with both hands. As you drive it through the revenant's skull, you realize just how easy this is. Suddenly, you're back in Hearthstone, the first night you encountered the Risen. You remember driving back a horde of revenants by the windmill, your mother...
A roar brings you back to the battle at hand. One of the legionnaires leaps forward, screaming as it hurls its spear at you. It catches you in the chest, barely penetrating your armor. You can feel a thin trickle of blood running underneath your armor. Another flashed memory. Your father, impaled by one of these hulking monstrosities. You shove the thoughts away and rip the spear loose, throwing it to the ground. You keep charging forward. Later, you promise yourself. There'll be time to mourn after this is over.
Claudia tackles the last revenant standing between you and the legionnaires. A now-familiar feeling washes over you as your wounds stitch shut under the glow of a heal staff. Rain falls in behind you, trading her staff for Falchion. "Let's take them," she urges, with a reassuring smile. The legionnaires retreat to the staircase. Unsure what to expect, you dismount Marth. Rain follows suit, her pegasus remaining just overhead. As the pair of you move in on the legionnaires, Dan, Claudia, and Wendy circle around, driving back any revenant that comes close.
You strike first, charging forward with Armads. You attack the forward-most legionnaire with an overhead chop. Between its size and the height advantage from the stairs, you expect your axe to embed itself in its stomach. At the last second, the second legionnaire lunges out from behind the first, deflecting your blow with its spear. The first doesn't even react to the sudden intrusion as it swings its spear in a wide arc. You recover just in time to step in closer, catching the spear's shaft Armads' handle. The force of the blow surprises you and nearly knocks you off your feet; you manage to keep your balance, sliding back several steps.
Rain dashes past you, raising Falchion for a thrust. The lead legionnaire tries to catch her by surprise, whipping the butt of the spear around in a sharp arc. Rain anticipates the attack, sliding beneath it. She leaps up, thrusting Falchion into the lead's thigh. It starts to drop to one knee, but the second legionnaire drives Rain back before she can follow up. The lead reclaims its feet, roaring at you.
You look back for the rest of your group. Doran and Paen have put themselves at the rear, between the rest of your troops and a small pack of six rogues and a whisper. Charlotte and Saul are protecting the flanks, while John and Mary drive back the few remaining revenants. The rogues seem hesitant to attack - not that you can blame them, with Paen's armor standing between them and anyone they could hope to injure. Still, they manage to avoid most of the spells Doran hurls their way, creating a sort of standoff.
After your initial charge, sixteen of the original thirty lay dead, and a few of the survivors are wounded. Nine are trying to interrupt your fight with the legionnaires, while your air units keep them back. The last five are attacking your infantry, while the rogues and their leader attack from the other side.
--------------------------
June/Rain:
(A) Keep fighting the legionnaires - aim low
(B) Keep fighting the legionnaires - try to split them apart and fight one-on-one
(C) Drop back deal with the group of 9
(D) Drop back to your infantry
Air units:
(X) Keep holding the revenants away from June/Rain's fight
(Y) Ignore the revenants, attack the legionnaires
(Z) Leave the revenants, assist the infantry
Infantry:
(1) Hold in a defensive position
(2) Rush the rogues
(3) Move towards the rest of your group - and the legionnaires - as quickly as possible
|
|
|
|
Post by Neo on Nov 25, 2014 3:11:21 GMT -6
Hmm... I'm gonna say BX1.
|
|
|
|
Post by SwordMasterEX on Nov 25, 2014 3:17:47 GMT -6
Hmm... I'm gonna say BX1. I'll back it. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2014 7:48:33 GMT -6
Hmm... I'm gonna say BX1. I'll back it. I'll double back it.I'm really feeling it! |
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Nov 30, 2014 2:47:10 GMT -6
Everyone seems fine where they are. You decide to press the attack on the legionnaires and trust your teammates to hold their own.
"We need to split them up," you tell Rain. "Any ideas?"
"Attack from both sides," she suggests. "Unless you want to try getting between them..."
"Pass," you tell her, starting to move to the left. Rain mirrors you, circling to the right.
The legionnaires slowly turn, eventually standing back-to-back. You're cut off from Rain, but they won't be able to team up, either.
You don't let the legionnaire make the first move. You take a swing at its leg. It tries to step back, but is stopped by the other legionnaire. Your blow doesn't cleave through, and your find Armads trapped in the Risen's thigh. You shift your grip to tear it free, watching the legionnaire's spear. He catches you off-guard with a sudden backhanded blow from his free hand. You manage to hold onto Armads, ripping it free. You stagger back, you face stinging and feeling a bit dazed by the blow. You're suddenly painfully aware of how exposed your head is with this armored dress.
The legionnaire tries a lunging thrust. You sidestep, but too slowly to avoid the blow completely. You feel an intense pain on the side of your head as the spearhead cuts through your ear. You can feel blood already running down your neck, but you're just thankful you avoided a killing blow. You take the chance to counter, swinging up towards the legionnaire's arm. You're rewarded with a hit, leaving a large gash in the monster's arm. You step forward with an overhand swing. The legionnaire deflects the blow, then swings his spear horizontally. The blow catches you in the side and you gasp for breath.
You and the legionnaire both take several steps back. The legionnaire takes a moment to adjust his grip on the spear, accounting for his injury. You take the chance to feel your injury. Your ear's still attached, but cut badly. The injury itself doesn't seem that bad, despite the large amount of blood.
Behind your opponent, you get a glimpse of Rain. She doesn't seem to be faring as well. While you've been meeting the legionnaire head-on, she's being pushed back. She reacts too slowly to a lunge, and the Risen's spear tears through the side of her armor, just above the hip. She twists, avoiding the worst of the blow. She falls to one knee. You don't have any chance to react before the legionnaire steps in for a killing blow.
As the Risen stabs, Rain rolls backward. As she rises, she slaps the spear to the side with Falchion. "You're wide open!" she yells. She dashes in before the Risen can react, slashing the legionnaire's leg fiercely. The wound on her side shrinks noticeably. She takes a step back, before suddenly lunging again. This time, she leaps and thrusts straight for the legionnaire's chest. She pierces through, and the legionnaire slumps to the ground. With a hiss, it starts to dissolve.
Your enemy watches as its partner falls. It turns to you, roaring in rage. Before Rain can help, it rushes you. Forgetting its spear, it grabs you in its massive hands. It lifts you from the ground and brings you inches from its face, roaring again. Its grip left you with an arm free, and you pull the knife hidden in your sleeve. You stab at its eyes. It drops you, recoiling in pain. It covers its face, not able to see as Claudia's wyvern slams into it. The legionnaire is thrown to the ground, and you stagger to your feet. Reclaiming Armads, you step forward and unceremoniously finish the monster.
Claudia, Dan, and Wendy have finished with their Risen. Paen's group, on the other hand, is not faring so well. Paen and Doran are separated from the others, fighting three of the rogues and their leader. Paen is clearly frustrated with his enemies' constant dodging, but seems fine. Doran's robe has a few scratches, but he doesn't seem to be bleeding. Charlotte is taking on two of the rogues, trying to stop them from getting past to John and Mary. She has a gash across her chestplate, but John's already stopped the bleeding. Saul is dealing with the other two, driving them back with magic. John and Mary don't seem to be injured at all.
You realize there are more than before - enemy reinforcements are arriving. Four more cloaked figures are breaking out of the alleys on the far side of the plaza. "Assassins!" Rain warns you. Paen and Doran are closest, but the rogues and whisper prevent them from intercepting the new threat. You aren't sure where they're going just yet.
You check your last few members. Rain is clutching her side and seems to be in a lot of pain. Wendy seems unharmed, but Claudia's arm has a massive cut. She'd rush to help Paen in an instant - and probably will, even if you try to stop her - but you aren't sure she should be fighting as she is. Dan's got a few scratches, but seems ready to fight. You hate to admit it, but you're not doing so well, yourself. Your ear's still bleeding, and the wound on your chest still stings; being picked up and dropped didn't do you any good, either. You have a mend staff, but you're still learning - Rain's still much better than you.
------------------
Uninjured: John, Mary, Wendy
Light injuries: Paen, Doran, Charlotte, Saul, Dan
Moderate injuries: Claudia, June
Severe injuries: Rain
(A) Heal first, then engage
(B) Prioritize eliminating the enemies that are already there
(C) Intercept the assassins
(D) Try to pull your units back to take a defensive position at the stairs
You can send different people different places between A, B, and C, but D's all-in. You'll need either Rain or June to stay behind if you're healing someone.
|
|
|
|
Post by Neo on Nov 30, 2014 23:47:46 GMT -6
Can we do a combo? If so, June heals Rain, Rain then heals Claudia. Claudia and Dan fly to help Paen's group finish off their enemies, and then everyone retreats towards the stairs. We draw the Assassins towards us, keeping them busy with magic and ranged attacks. Then, June and Paen finish them, with Paen leading.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2014 7:09:51 GMT -6
Can we do a combo? If so, June heals Rain, Rain then heals Claudia. Claudia and Dan fly to help Paen's group finish off their enemies, and then everyone retreats towards the stairs. We draw the Assassins towards us, keeping them busy with magic and ranged attacks. Then, June and Paen finish them, with Paen leading. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2014 10:10:21 GMT -6
Can we do a combo? If so, June heals Rain, Rain then heals Claudia. Claudia and Dan fly to help Paen's group finish off their enemies, and then everyone retreats towards the stairs. We draw the Assassins towards us, keeping them busy with magic and ranged attacks. Then, June and Paen finish them, with Paen leading. I third the plan if we are able to combo |
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Dec 5, 2014 23:03:09 GMT -6
OK. News. First, next post is coming soon. As in, "I'm either writing it as you're reading this or it's already posted" soon.
I've had some wicked bad writer's block lately, which has made things that I should be able to pound out in an hour or two... take days to write and rewrite. Seriously, this is the third time I'm writing this next bit. Assuming I don't hate/delete it again. But, writer's block's got a silver lining, because I got to do some more work on...
AoD (side-note: did I already announce what it's standing for?). I've hit a snag figuring out an way to deliver the information that a) highlights what's important and b) doesn't feel like vomiting words at you. This whole wall of text thing, like this post, is kinda dull. I'd rather do, y'know, something engaging. More importantly, I guess, I did a major plot rework. Now I'm basically comparing the first and second drafts, picking what parts I want, and deciding how I want to stitch the two together. I have realized I need to go a bit further than that and have a very, very rough draft of AoD's planned sequel - it's counting my chickens before the parent chickens have even met, but there's changes I'd have made to SoS if I'd been anticipating AoD. And I did make some of those changes, but they felt very... thrown-in to me. Not gonna say what they are, though, because... well, why draw attention to the weak points in your story. Cover them. Bury them under ten metric buttloads of not-weak-points. Uh... Characters, made a few small changes. Didn't have as much work to do, mostly just decided to toss a coin for every non-set character's gender, re-did Doran's kid(s) a bit, now that he's with Fumiko. Five of the first couple chapters are outlined, but it won't be ready to roll until every chapter in the first arc's outlined. The rest of the arcs will have a bit more wiggle-room.
The last thing slowing me down is child skill inheritance. That's... gonna be a royal pain, and so far the only thing I can really think of is shoving most of the work for that on you guys' voting. Ah, which reminds me I still need to finish coming up with titles for everyone. Anyway. We now return to the story already in progress.
|
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Dec 6, 2014 1:33:17 GMT -6
You're already reaching for your mend staff as you make for Rain. "Rain, patch up Claudia. Claudia, Dan, Wendy, be ready to move." "What's the plan?" Dan asks, ready to charge. "Kill them?" "See how Paen and Doran are surrounded? You guys need to fix that. Then cover their retreat. Pull back to the stairs," you explain. You repeat yourself, yelling so the rest of your force can hear. " Pull back to the stairs!" Paen glances your way, and you half expect him to argue. Instead, he turns his attention to the rogue standing between him and the council chambers. While Claudia regains her seating, Rain concentrates on her physic staff. Dan and Wendy move first, and Claudia takes off right behind them. By the time Claudia's halfway to the fight, her wound's healed. One of the assassins pulls out a bow and quickly looses at Dan. Wendy dives in the way, blocking the arrow with her Delphi shield. The assassin stops in his tracks, surprised. Claudia takes the opportunity to drive a lance into a rogue's back, freeing Paen. With no hesitation, she reaches down to grab Paen's arm and haul him onto her wyvern. Wendy's manticore wraps its tail around Doran, throwing him onto its back. An assassin takes a swing at her, but she leaps into the air and starts to retreat. While this goes on, you take a look at Rain. The spear pierced her armor, leaving a large hole - nothing you'll be able to fix. Underneath it is a large wound. The skin has been torn horribly. You hesitate, worried about doing more harm that good. Rain snaps her fingers right in front of your face. "Don't panic. It looks worse than it is. Just do what you can." Rain's words give you some encouragement. Using a hand to close the wound as best you can, you trace the incision with your staff. "Never hesitate to heal someone, no matter how bad it looks..." Rain mutters, clearly uncomfortable. "Odds are you won't make things worse." Without Paen and Doran, the whisper's group turns on John and Mary. Darting forward, one rogue slashes at Mary's throat. She twirls out of the way, summoning a ball of darkness mid-spin. The rogue rolls to avoid the attack. John follows up with a shine tome. The attack is short, but the intensity of the lights seems to surprise the whisper. Mary grabs John's arm and starts running, ignoring the possibility of being stabbed in the back. You loose an arrow over their heads to give the charging rogues something to think about. It hits the whisper, and for a second you think you've wounded him. Instead, your arrow merely tore a hole in his cloak. You suddenly realize their outfits make these rogues look like much bigger targets than they actually are, and adjust your aim accordingly. Saul and Charlotte are the last to retreat. Two rogues try to cut Saul off, but he steers his horse wide around them, easily outpacing them. Charlotte isn't as quick, and she finds herself under attack by a pair of rogues and one of the assassins. She parries the assassin's lunge, only to have a rogue slash her side. As the third circles in on her other flank, Dan drops between them. Shard lowers his head and screeches at the rogue, who takes several steps back. Between her injury and her inexperience with wyverns, Charlotte struggles to pull herself up. The extra seconds Dan takes pulling her up gives the assassin plenty of time to switch to his bow. As Shard leaps to the stairs, the assassin levels a shot and fires. The arrow brushes past Charlotte and strikes Dan in the back. He reels forward from the impact, but stays on course. By the time Shard slams down near the top of the stairs, Charlotte's already got her staff out, working on the injury. Saul dismounts and runs to help. Dan's clearly in pain, but his injuries aren't life-threatening. Your troops form a line on the stairs. With your team no longer in disarray, the rogues and assassins seems at a loss for what to do. No one's vulnerable, and they can't outflank you. Not only that, but your healers are also already at work patching up the damage they've managed to do. As one of the assassins raises his knife and prepares to charge, the whisper raises a hand to his mouth. A whistle cuts the air, and the assassin stops in his tracks. They enemies turn to stare at the whisper, who throws out a quick series of hand gestures. The rogues and assassins withdraw from the plaza almost as suddenly as they appeared. Two scoop up the rogue Claudia stabbed, who seems to still be alive, barely. The group scatters down various alleys and disappear. "Should we go after them...?" you wonder aloud. "No," Doran answers authoritatively. "That's a trap. They can't take us in a fair fight, so they're resorting to tricks. They want to split us up, lure us into an ambush, something. Maybe just lead us on a wild goose chase, stall us." He's staring back towards the inn. "But-" Paen begins. Rain reprimands him. "We're finally here. We can't let them distract us. Focus on the mission." Paen casts a worried glance at the now-empty plaza. "Fair enough." "Don't worry," Mary interjects. "Once we're inside, I'll seal the entrance. They won't be able to sneak in reinforcements. Not from the front door, anyway." "That also means we won't be able to retreat," John points out. "Then again, I don't suppose we were planning to." "Right," Doran says. "Everyone, heal up. Check your gear. Claudia, Mary, take lookout. John, June's wounded..." ----------------------- Cynbel ducks below the windowsill as a handaxe flies overhead. He jumps up, launching a fireball. Holland stands in the center of the room, barking orders. The Risen have all but destroyed the doors, only to find a barricade of furniture right inside the threshold. Anyone that can use a spear tries to drive the enemy advance back, while arrows and magic fly from the second floor. The enemy keeps cycling out its wounded and weary troops, pulling them well out of range to rest and recover. Managing to actually kill one, rather than letting him escape, is becoming a rarity. The defenders are growing tired, with no chance to rest and no end of enemies in sight. Cynbel chances a glance to the west. The sun's dropped behind the council chambers and has started to disappear over the cliff-side. Just over an hour left.
----------------------- Choose 6 supports. They can be any pairing you want, so long as those two people are in the same group. A list of current support levels is still up hereGroup 1: June, Rain, Wendy, Dan, John, Mary, Doran, Paen, Claudia, Saul, Charlotte Group 2: Everyone else (except Drake) Available X supports: Praven/Taika, Saul/Paen |
|
|
|
Post by Neo on Dec 6, 2014 2:55:11 GMT -6
Wow... That went... Surprisingly well. Can we choose multiple supports for the same pairing?
If so, I vote Cynbel x Harrow A and S, and Sherry x Zephyr A and S, Praven x Taika X, and Saul x Paen X.
|
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Dec 6, 2014 11:30:32 GMT -6
Wow... That went... Surprisingly well. Can we choose multiple supports for the same pairing? If so, I vote Cynbel x Harrow A and S, and Sherry x Zephyr A and S, Praven x Taika X, and Saul x Paen X. Just 1 per set. Don't worry, this isn't the last support chance. |
|
|
|
Post by Neo on Dec 6, 2014 11:49:42 GMT -6
Wow... That went... Surprisingly well. Can we choose multiple supports for the same pairing? If so, I vote Cynbel x Harrow A and S, and Sherry x Zephyr A and S, Praven x Taika X, and Saul x Paen X. Just 1 per set. Don't worry, this isn't the last support chance. Fine... Meanie. Cynbel x Harrow A, Sherry x Zephyr A, and the X Supports. |
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Dec 6, 2014 22:20:39 GMT -6
This may be the only time I can say this, but we're currently at 2/3 of a vote.
|
|
|
|
Post by Neo on Dec 6, 2014 22:24:10 GMT -6
This may be the only time I can say this, but we're currently at 2/3 of a vote. I couldn't find any other supports that caught my eye, so that is my vote. For the remaining supports, I'll simply back someone else's choice. |
|
|
|
Post by slykirby on Dec 7, 2014 20:16:59 GMT -6
Praven/Taika X
Saul/Paen X
Harrow/Cynbel A
Zephyr/Sherry A
Dan/Paen B
Ferris/Alyssa A
|
|
|
|
Post by SummerCrow on Dec 10, 2014 2:29:23 GMT -6
I like to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute to these support votes, but, eh, 1.67 votes is good enough for me. I want to try to get my writing speed - er, frequency - back up a bit as we move into THE FINAL CHAPTER.
------------------------
Holland has sent the healers to a room on the second floor of the inn. With the window covered, they've set up a relatively safe haven to treat anyone seriously injured. Walt steps in with a burn from one of the enemy's sages.
"Walt! Are you OK?" Taika exclaims.
"Had worse," he grunts in response.
"It doesn't look so bad," Praven assures them. "Certainly nothing we can't fix."
"Right," Taika nods. "Master Praven, I'll follow your lead."
"Oh, no, give this poor old man a break." Praven hunches over, feigning fatigue. "He's all yours."
"Er... Yes, sir."
Praven walks over to the bed and sits down. "Oof... Truth be told, I'm really not as young as I used to be." Taika doesn't respond, focused on her mend staff. "There's something I've been meaning to speak with you about, Taika."
She pauses, glancing in his direction. "Master Praven...?"
"You know I've yet to name a successor, child. Our group must have a leader. Our work is too important to be jeopardized."
Taika struggles to find her voice. "Master Praven, it sounds like... I mean, you're not suggesting you want me to..."
Praven leans on his staff as he rises from his seat. "Why not? You're gifted in languages, you've a mind for finances and negotiation, and you're a talented young sage."
Taika shakes her head. "But... surely there's someone better... someone more experienced...?"
Praven nods. "Yes, however, there is one more thing. The Einharjar." He points to the tome bound around Taika's waist. "Not many of our school can speak with them, much less receive gifts from them."
"But... I..."
"I know I ask a lot of you in this, Taika." Praven places a hand on her shoulder. "I've seen the way you look at this young knight here..." He places his other hand on Walt's head. "Which is why I wanted to make sure he was involved in the decision. But finding time where they two of you were alone and not, hrm, otherwise engaged has proven quite difficult."
Walt turns bright red. "Er, that's... Um..."
Taika mutters under her breath. "I didn't realize it was that obvious..."
Praven laughs. "Taika, do not mistake this for some form of honor. This is a heavy burden to bear, but it is yours, should you accept it."
Taika falls silent. Walt finally breaks the silence, turning to face her. "It's your duty, isn't it? ...Were it not for me, would you accept?" Taika looks away and slowly nods. "Well, then, it's my duty to support you, in whatever you choose to do."
"Walt..." Taika begins. A loud crash from below cuts them off.
"This isn't the best time to discuss it, I suppose," Walt says, leaping to his feet. He lifts Taika's chin and gives her a kiss. "Just know that whatever you choose, thing's will work out. Somehow." With that, he grabs his lance and heads to rejoin the fight.
Praven chuckles while Taika stares after him in silence. "Well? Are your fears allayed? Will you become the next leader of our school?"
Slowly, Taika turns back to Praven, a smile on her face. "Yes, Master Praven."
------------------------
Alyssa and Ferris move to the rear lines, taking a seat on the reception desk to catch their breath.
"So, this look as bad to you as it does to me?" Ferris asks.
Alyssa shakes her head. "Doesn't matter how bad it looks. We're buying time for June's team. However long it takes, however much it costs us."
"Ha... That's a cold answer. You're supposed to say something about how everything's fine, and tell me that Holland's working on some grand master plan."
Alyssa shakes her head. "Careful, rational analysis is always better than mindless optimism. If you don't know how bad off you are, you can't hope to fix the problem, right?"
Ferris sighs. "That reminds me. I noticed you stopped trying to kill me. Not that I'm complaining, but why?"
"Kill you?" Alyssa asks, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Sneaking up on me, ambushing me, all that."
"I was never trying to kill you," Alyssa explains. "Just motivate you to stop slacking off. Plus, it was good practice for me."
"Slacking off?" Ferris feigns indignation. "I don't slack off. I observe. You should know better than anyone the value of just stepping back and observing from a distance."
"With both eyes closed?" Alyssa asks.
"Well, maybe I fell asleep a few times," Ferris admits. "But we've been too busy marching these last few days for me to get any rest."
"I hadn't noticed," Alyssa replies sarcastically.
"Ugh. Talking to you's just making me more tired than ever. As soon as we're done with this fighting, I'm going to sleep and not waking up for a month."
"Well, just make sure you don't lose focus during this battle, or you'll be sleeping a lot longer than that."
"You're so, so cheery..." Ferris sighs.
------------------------
Harrow finishes healing Cynbel's flank for the third time. He grunts in annoyance as the wound closes again. "I owe you one," he tells her.
"You owe me more than one at this point," she corrects him. "I wish you'd stop tearing the same wound open over and over. I can only heal it so well, and it's getting less and less effective every time..."
"I can't really help it, seeing as these guys aren't letting up. I'd love a chance to rest a bit."
Harrow puts her staff back in its sling. She pulls out her beast stone. "Very well, then. You take support for a bit, and let me take point. You know some basic spells, do you not?"
"Yes, but no healing spells. And don't you have other people to tend to?"
Harrow's voice is distorted as she changes forms. "I'm not our only healer. Besides, I've spent so much time healing you, I've hardly been getting to anyone else. It's better to give you some time to rest. Then maybe I won't have to worry about you so much."
Cynbel sighs, switching to a tome. "Very well, then. And... don't be mistaken. I really do appreciate all your support."
Harrow grins, somewhat disturbing in her beast form. "I freely lend my aid to any who ask for it. We all fight together; there's strength in our pack. There's noneed to become so sentimental."
"You misunderstand," Cynbel explains. "It's more than just having someone at my side, it's having you at my side in particular."
Harrow turns her head away. "You flatter me."
"Sorry, was that an odd thing to say? You needn't pay me any mind."
"N-no, it's nice to hear, if a bit... sudden, coming from you. Anyway, we need focus on the task at hand."
"Right!" Cynbel agrees, readying himself.
------------------------
Sherry sits in the corner of the room, applying a concoction. "Hey, Zephyr?" she whispers quietly. "Can you hear me?"
Zephyr jumps from the barricade onto a Risen stepping through the front door. He rakes the Risen across the face before leaping off and back to safety. He doesn't react to Sherry's question.
Sherry sighs. "That's probably for the best." She glances around to make sure no one else could overhear her. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden... I know I'm not as strong as you, or as fast. Hell, I can't keep up with anyone in this group..."
In the distance, a halberdier thrusts his lance through the a window. Harrow dodge, then latches onto his arm. Cynbel hurls a fireball at the trapped soldier.
"Ha... Even our healers are better fighters than me," Sherry muses. "I try as hard as I can to keep up, but it's no use. Everyone's constantly babying me. No matter how I try to prove myself, I can't..." She sighs, focusing on her concoction. "Well, I'll just keep doing the best I can, I guess. And I'll keep getting stronger. So, um... Thanks for being around to support me. And... I hope you'll stay with me a bit longer..."
Zephyr steps back, reverting to human form. He turns and smiles at Sherry, then starts walking over. Sherry starts to turn red. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?" she asks, loud enough that she knows he heard.
"Hm?" Zephyr cocks his head. "Heard what?"
"N-nothing..." Shery lies, calming down. "I'm patched up. I'm ready to get back in the fight, so take a break."
"OK," Zephyr says. "I wouldn't mind a chance to catch my breath. This is... quite a workout. I'll be over here, so just yell if you need me."
Sherry hefts her lance and starts toward the front door. "And don't push yourself to hard!" Zephyr calls after her.
------------------------
Rain is finishing tending to your ear. Once she's finished with you, only Doran and Saul need to be treated before you're ready to enter the enemy stronghold. Down the stairs, Dan and Paen are chatting while watching for any
signs of an enemy attack.
Paen stretches. "So, Dan, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"My liege?" Dan answers.
"No need for that sort of formality. Not outside of court, at least. Around friends, in private, you can just drop it."
"Er... sir?" Dan asks, confused.
"You're being promoted to my private guard. I can't very well reassign you to your old fort after all this is over. Who knows, some people may even still consider you a traitor. Besides, I'm not so cruel as to break up..." He tilts his head towards Claudia. "Well, you know."
"Th-thank you, sir!" Dan salutes.
"Now, as I was saying..." Paen continues, nonchalantly. "If I remember right, you had family in Valeria?"
"Yes, sir. My mother." Dan pauses. "Well, she moved to Carcina after meeting my father, but it was... hard on her."
"How so? And speak up a bit," Paen insists.
"It's not exactly easy to visit Valeria if you aren't some trader or merchant. She pretty much had to sever all contact with her friends and family when she married Father," Dan explains.
"I see. I bet things would be easier on you if our countries weren't constantly at each others' throats."
"It is rather hard to have any family gatherings," Dan admits.
As you finish healing the few scraps Saul received, Paen calls up to him. "Are you hearing this, Archbishop?"
"It's not that I intend to eavesdrop," Saul answers. "But you are speaking rather loudly. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to be overheard."
"What? You overestimate me. I'm hurt." Paen raises a hand to his heart.
"And I'm sure you'll start crying big crocodile tears any second now," Saul answers. "But I'll admit you have a point. We probably should have more than just traders going between our borders. Some dignitaries on a regular basis, at least."
"Now that just sounds reasonable," Paen answers.
"But it's not like our countries can undo 200 years of hatred just because the two of us decide we shouldn't fight anymore."
"I wonder," Paen suggests. "There's a lot of bad blood, sure, but this disaster hides quite an opportunity."
"I... think I see where you're going with this," Saul admits.
"If we had better communication, maybe none of this would have happened. We wouldn't have been fighting a war with each other while these Risen were sweeping across the land," Paen explains.
"We'd have found the true enemy sooner," Saul suggests. "And we would have had many more troops to fight..." Saul sighs. "So many unnecessary casualties..."
Paen crosses his arms. "So, what do you say? We've got a lot of rebuilding to do, anyway. If we keep singing that same song, people might start buying it."
Saul nods slightly. "If nothing else, we'll be able to strengthen our economic ties here. We'll need to import more food than normal this winter, and I'm sure you'll be needing plenty of ores in the next few weeks."
Paen smiles as he begins to climb the stairs. "Exactly. Even if it's not much, if we can get our countries talking to each other, that's a major start." Paen extends his hand.
"To a brighter future," Saul says, taking Paen's hand.
Paen laughs. "Damn straight! Now, there's just one or two more little things standing in our way..." He turns to face the massive double doors to the council chambers.
"Is everyone ready?" Doran asks.
"No problems here," Rain answers. "I'm ready."
Wendy dismounts her manticore. "Sorry, buddy, I don't think you'll fit inside... Be safe out here. We'll be back soon."
"We're going to end this..." Dan answers.
John nods. "These heretics, violating the laws of nature... They must be stopped!"
Mary clutches the Goettia. "...I'm ready." she mutters.
Paen slams his fists together. "I've been waiting for this. It's about time!"
"I won't let anyone lay a hand on my king!" Claudia adds.
Saul runs a hand over his staff. "If we win here, we'll have peace... right?"
"He's here, I can feel it... I have to... Kill him...!" Charlotte's breathing heavily.
You feel for your hatchet, making sure it's still on your belt. You lift Armads, feeling your heart pounding. "This really is the end, isn't it? We can't afford to back down now!"
Doran nods. "It looks like everyone's ready. Well, then. Be safe, everyone!"
With that, Doran starts shoving one of the two doors. You join him, pressing against the other. With a groan, the doors start to swing open...
------------------------
END OF CHAPTER 22
------------------------
|
|
