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Fofo: It’s the waiting that is the worst part. The other teams of Lost have left for Dover over an hour ago. They should be there by now. Should be making their move on the Tree. They know that it’s coming--but not exactly when. Adrenaline pumps, hearts race, eyes remain fixed on the outer walls, watching the Hedge around them that is eerily quiet.
Peter and Doll wait on the catwalk on the other side of the Hollow. Doll has her bow and a quiver of arrows beside her. Margaret isn’t too far away from them with her own bow. Alice sits on a different wall, a row of crow hedgebeasts perched along the top of the wall around her. Devon? Well, he’s behind the wall, walking the grounds, stalking with inhumane grace, keeping his eye on the ground.(edited)
Laura Walker: Laura waits, tense and in anticipation of the battle to come. You can take the hyena from the wild, but not the wild from the hyena, not entirely. Her green eyes hold a shade of red, a hint of her eagerness for what's coming.
Clad in the armour Sigrun had crafted for her, she waits at the near side of the ramparts, prepared to fight any who make it that far. Lightning crackles over her armour and skin and fur, flickering around her eyes. Partly visible, ragged handwraps are in place, marked with old, stained blood. She turns her head to gaze back at the top of the wall, fixed on the Valkyrie there with a single nod as she gauges the distance to the sheet of metal behind herself.
This was likely to get bloody, a bolt hole was a good thing to have,
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun is stationed up on the gatehouse with a good high vantage of the battlefield. This puts her right near the ballista and its barrel full of shot. She has a table set out with her shield set upon it, face down for easy fetching when the time comes for it. Her sword hangs on her belt, loose in its scabbard, oiled and ready for use. Her longbow and a standing quiver are on and beside the table, respectively. For now, she's settling her long boar spear into a mount on the corner of the gatehouse tower, positioning it like a flag pole for all to see. Her hand embroidered banner of the sigil of the Summer Court waves in the afternoon breeze. And with that done, she lifts her helmet up and settles it onto her head.
She rests her hands on the wall, then, looking out over the bleached landscape with a rather grim expression before looking up to the sky, "Lady of the Vanir, Freyja, Shield Mother and friend of cats, grant us the strength to seek victory and the courage to meet death. All I am about to do, I do in your name."
Arthur Phoenix: Artie, just as everyone else, has shown up clad for war. Where normally pale flesh and pulsing veins of molten metal normally reside, his skin has become metallic gold, shimmering as if polished. Tough looking reinforced clothing covers his body. On his back two spears, one a shiny silver and the other a glowing shaft of sunlight.
His lower lip worries between his teeth as his anxiousness grows. It isn't fear but antsiness as he waits for the first cry of impending attack.
His golden gaze is set on the horizon from his vantage on the catwalk.(edited)
Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio looked over the battlefield-to-be as the others got themselves ready, having claimed a spot on the catwalk with a sheathe of javelins nearby. With any luck the various ranged options would handle the brunt of the force heading their way, but he was ready to get involved up close as well in the need arose. He spoke quietly in his native tongue, offering a prayer to St. Michael to watch over those gathered as they went to the freehold's defense.
Fofo: Without warning, the ground starts to shake underneath them. It starts as a tremble, making the walls and the equipment on them rattle. But then the shaking turns more violent and merciless, sending them wobbling and stumbling around. The concrete and wood of the walls groan and creak, but hold strong.
Then the ground starts to crack, parts swelling upwards, something pushing upwards from the ground below. Seconds later roots burst upwards, knotted and dark and hungry. They’re everywhere. Inside the walls, outside, spreading over the ground and searching for anyone within reach.
Everyone manages to hold their ground, but are knocked around a bit as everything shakes around them. (Yep! 1 Bashing after armor for everyone!)
But they are not the only things that rise from the earth. There are knots here and there where the roots cluster and grow, and bursting out from them are huge twisted beings made of dark wood. They’re huge--towering over ten feet tall. https://64.media.tumblr.com/9121f7f987cceec49b6323d4bbab19c3/2113e0a18d1859be-4f/s400x600/8f2e5e3095982e366a287aacb9c18ff29b71f66b.jpg
Thankfully, most of them are outside of the walls, perhaps due to the work put into cutting the roots back as far as possible. There is a small army of them, circling all around the walls and a couple inside--but the other Summers quickly move to engage and try to hold them back.
Leaving six for the others to deal with, outside of the walls. They start lumbering closer, starting to climb over the trench, which thankfully slows them down.
Sigrun Ljosdottir: When the shaking starts, Sigrun unlocks her knees and drops into a crouch, riding the waves of the quake as best she can before getting slammed against the table with her spare gear. She grunts hard, pushes back up, and reaches for the ballista to use it to help her balance. She swings herself around behind it, grabs its aiming arms, and wheels it about to take aim on one of the root monsters down in the trench, furthest away from Laura. Attempting to herd them closer to the hyena by dint of withering counterfire. Once she has a bead on one of the beasts, she pulls the lever and sends the bolt screaming through the air at one of the massive beasts. It cracks home quite noisily indeed, which has Sigrun diving away for her longbow.
Laura Walker: Claws digging in the ground for traction as the ground shakes, Laura sets her eyes on the approaching creatures, snarling before letting a hyena cackle roll out over the battlefield, a warning of savagery and pain to the approaching enemies.
One that is met with force as she lunges at the treant in the fore, fangs and claws sinking in. Lightning crackles and singes into wood as elemental energies mix with tooth and claw. (10L from the attack itself, plus an extra L from primal glory. Defence is 10(down to 7) due to the Token)
Fofo: The massive spear-like bolt fires through the air and slams into the chest of one of the treant-like monsters. It sends it staggering backwards, toppling back into the trench. But a second later it can be seen over the edge. It rips the bolt from it's chest.
Laura's fearsome claws nearly carves one of the monsters in two. It also staggers, but isn't knocked backwards into the trench. It's not dead--but definitely looks badly wounded.
The swarm of roots spread across the ground, and seem to feel more than see Laura as she moves and swings and claws. The twisted knotted wood grows around her, trying to grasp around her legs--but they're too slow for the quick Hyena.
Arthur Phoenix: Artie had forgotten that their foe was coming from beneath so he was mildly surprised as the wall began to shake beneath him. As the rumbling intensified, he took a knee before rolling to one of the catapults as the tree giants appeared and with a quick pull unleashed its payload.
Fofo: The grapeshot fires in the mini catapult and hits another of the treants hard. It doesn't appear to do a ton of damage, but it does soundly knock the thing backwards into the trench, knocking it prone. It doesn't immediately get up.
Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio did his best to ride the waves of moving earth, almost loosing his footing at one point but evening out before going ass over teakettle off of the walkway. Eyes narrowed as he looked over the emerging forces, following the bolt from the ballista with a javelin throw of his own. (Believe that should be 5L?)
Fofo: The javelin hits home, lodging and breaking off a large part of the treant.
Fofo: Sigrun and Aurelio's eyes are both focused on this treant, and notice something--it looks like the monster should be falling apart, but it pushes its self back up, some of the wood regrowing just enough to keep it moving.
They notice that there's some vines trailing behind the treants, growing into the ground. Connecting it to the greater tree/root system. They get the hunch that this connection is keeping them from dying.
Fofo: The treants start moving past the ramparts, pushing through the spears rather than working around them--causing the spears to tear into wood hide.
Three of the treants closest to Laura converge on her, swinging knotted fits and claws that scrape over her armor--which thankfully absorbs most of the pain, just leaving bruises behind. (3 Bashing total after armor, Laura!)
Two of the others start moving past the ramparts to the walls, viney trendrils growing to snap upwards at those on the walls. One lashes at Arthur, but he ducks behind the wall and his armor helps protect him. (1 bashing) Another lashes at Aurelio, who is a little less lucky. (1 Lethal)
Laura Walker: Beset on all sides and growling and snapping as branches swiped and clubbed at her, Laura found herself extremely glad for her armour. And reminded herself to thank Sigrun once more, later on. For the moment however, she was in the middle of enemies. Enemies who were starting to work past her and attack those on the walls.
No.
Moving back to stand in the middle of them all, Laura unhooked a metal rod from her hip, pointing it at the mass of treants. "I call on the storm! I call on the wild! Turn your fury on my enemies and let them suffer!" Runes etched over her fur glow blue under her armour, and the lighting sheathing her expands, beating winds, rain and flashes of lightning obscuring the hyena and all those around her.
Fofo: There two by the wall now--they seem about to attempt to climb over, next round! You could switch out for sword and shield to stab over the side at them, if you want--they're tall enough to get a swing at.
Fofo: Laura notices the same thing Sigrun did. The one she had already carved through is the one hit with the lightning, and it nearly goes down. It should have gone down, but she notices the vines tethering it to the ground start to pulse and shift, and the wood regrows.
The vines need to be severed before these things can die.(edited)
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun gets her bow in hand and grabs an arrow from the standing quiver, even as she's jostled about. She makes a lunge towards the wall to steady herself on it, hitting it hard with another grunt of pain as a result. She pulls herself up, braces her hip against the wall, and draws a bead down over the side at one of the creatures attacking Laura. She lets the arrow fly free, striking it square and on target in the ... idea of its knee. These things aren't very precise. "LAURA! SEVER THEIR ROOTS! WE'VE GOT TO SEVER THEIR ROOTS!" Her shout given, she tosses her bow aside, rips her sword from its sheathe, and staggers across the lurching ground to grasp her shield and heave it up to her defense.
Fofo: The roots are still growing all over, searching. They start to grow over the base of the walls, spreading like kudzu vines and squeezing.. The walls shudder, creak, there's even some cracks here and there--but are holding, for now.
Fofo: The roots around Laura's feet still grasp at her, and this time they manage to coil around one of her ankles, squeezing tightly. Again, her armor saves her from some brutal gashes, but the bruises are no doubt starting to add up. (1 Bashing) The roots try to pull her off balance, trying to pull her to the ground, but she manages to keep her footing.
Fofo: The sunbeam slices the already injured treant in two--as well as cutting through the vines keeping it alive. The wood lets out a pained creaky-shrieking sound, and it starts to wither and rot as it falls to the ground, motionless.
Arthur Phoenix: Catching the shout from Sigrun, Artie looks over the wall as he slips the javelin of Summer's might from his back and lets it fly at one of the sets of roots he can get a vantage on.
"Like that?"
Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio let out a grunt as the vine found purchase through his armor, staring down the treant that started to make its way up. While Sigrun pulled her blade the Torrent vaulted himself over the edge of the catwalk towards it, putting all that stone he was made up of these days to good use to slam a fist straight into its 'face' as he rode the beast back down towards the ground. (4B)(edited)
Fofo: The punch doesn't seem to do a ton of damage to the hard flesh--but it does send the treant toppling backwards off of the wall.
In the background, the sounds of battle are everywhere. Doll and Margaret are letting arrow after arrow fly, and Peter has jumped over and off the wall to engage some treants on their side. The stone tank is surrounded, but for now holding his ground, punching and bashing away sprays of wood. The small flock of crows are pecking at treants to distract and herd them. Meanwhile, Devon moves through the Hollow with fluid grace, the roots trying to grasp at him but finding only air, while he carves through the wood like butter.
The two surviving treants caught in the tornado around Laura stagger, their branches whipped around in the wind. But they still come after her. One is knocked back by the wind, it's blow missing. The other just barely grazes her, and she shrugs the blow off on her helmet. (1 Bashing)
The treant that had been Knocked Down has recovered by now, pulling its self out of the trench and through the rampart to the walls. It lashes out a vine--this time at Sigrun. (1 bashing after armor)
The one that Aurelio knocked back looks upwards and whips a vine at him. (1 Bashing after armor)
The third climbs over the wall and drops down onto the catwalk beside Arthur, making the wood planks and beams groan and crack underneath him.
Laura Walker: Hearing Sigrun's shout and seeing the roots for herself, Laura blesses the weakened treants in front of her with a savage grin, eyes now deep red as she fixed them on the true target of this fight. Lunging forward she focused her efforts on the roots, claws reaching out to rend and tear as lightning continued to crackle around her. (11 L to one of the root systems. No luck with the lightning, but any survivors need to make a dex+althetics-3 roll to avoid taking 3 bashing)
Fofo: The two treants are thoroughly knocked around by the storm around Laura, and her claws rack through one, carving out a large chunk of it--including severing the vines. It staggers, looking very injured and weakened, but not yet dead.
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun readies sword and shield and is off at a run, heading down the wall to where another of the ents has reached it and is attempting to tear it down. She leaps into the air in a flying kick at the side of one of the wall's crenellations and then kicks off the brick to send herself catapulting through the air at the ent's face. She screams bloody murder on the way, her sword driving downward in a hard cleave that lodges the blade in the creature's temple. The force of her blow and her added weight cause the creature to slowly begin to fall backward and away from the wall, vaguely in the direction of Laura.
Sigrun works her blade free as the pair begin to fall together, Sigrun assuming a crouch as the beast collapses and tumbling away into a roll, popping up at Laura's side a little more banged up for having done so. "Together," she manages to say as she once more readies her guard.
Fofo: The treant groans as it's slammed into, then does indeed slowly topple down like a tree that had been sawed down, landing hard.
The roots growing out of the ground once again try to grasp and pull at Laura, but she manages to rip herself free. Once Sigrun hits the ground, they grow to try to grab at her--but she's far too quick, using her sword to slice when they get too close.
Fofo: The sunbeam sears through the wood, leaving it popping and smoking, and cutting through the vines as well. The treant looks caught off guard by the force of the blow, staggering--and ends up toppling back over the side of the wall, falling prone on it's face. Ouch.(edited)
Arthur Phoenix: Arthur glares defiantly as the treant ascends the wall next to him. He's a bit unarmed for the monent... Until...
The spear of light soars back to his hand and he grins. "This might be a bit more sunlight than you can handle, Moss -breath." He quips before hurling the sun spear again.
And as his would be opponent falls away over the ledge he pulls a face. "Oops. Er... That's from Shackamaxillion or.... Whatever we're called!"
Aurelio Menegi: Down the treant went with the force of Arthur's blow and down Aurelio went with it, letting out a grunt as he landed. After a moment's recovery he firmly had the beast in arm, the chill of the marble a hint at what was to come. "Not so fast..."
The icy chill that infused the Leechfinger sunk into the treant as it attempted to break free, drawing out its vital spark to replenish his own damaged form! (Spending 2G, downgrading 1L to B and healing 1B)
Spider: "Excuse me! I think it is important that you are aware that ceramic is much more durable than wood if it is properly crafted, and I am properly crafted! You grew up out of the ground! I also am from the ground but I am properly crafted and not grown by some tree that is totally out of control! Did you know that? I know that!"
The words of Doll Wood ring out from the other side of the Hollow: she's standing up on the catwalk, popping in and out of cover to yell down at the roots in between firing off arrows as Margaret, next to her, dodges from cover to cover and in between looses her own arrows.
"Fuck this," mutters Peter, and with an inhuman roar that sounds like the top coming off of a volcano, he leaps off of the wall, down into a cluster of roots. Pulling handfuls of them up, punching at others.
"Shackamaxon," Alice corrects Artie sharply before she keens toward the sky. "You stand on stolen ground, at least name it properly." The dark-eyed crow Beast spreads her taloned fingers wide and her Hedgebeasts take to the sky, a whole murder of crows fluttering up to overwatch, their black wings scattering across the battlefield's sky as they circle, crying each to each and to Alice herself below.
Devon disappeared from inside the Hollow at one point, and reappeared next to a cluster of mobile thorns. The plants try to hit him, and they can't. Instead, they just... hit each other, while he weaves back and forth with a deadly grace to make even Johnnie jealous.
He just looks bored. That may be an affectation, but the one-eyed Summer King moves nimbly, holding a spear in one hand and using it as a pivot point, a place to lean rather than something to attack with, and lets the Hedge attack itself around him.
Fofo: Healing himself is... a good idea. Because as Aurelio wrestles with the treant, the other one that had been starting to climb the wall to get to him pauses and looks back. He drops, and while Aurelio is wrestling swipes at blow hard across his back. The armor helps, but it still rips through and into flesh. (2L)
The one that Sigrun had knocked down... stands up!
The two caught up in the tornado try to swing at Sigrun and Laura. Despite the odds, one manages to get past Sigrun's shield to scrape at her cheek, but her helmet keeps it from doing anything more than rattling her head. (1 Bashing) The one with the broken leg continues to feabily try to swipe at Laura, but misses her.
Laura Walker: Red eyes find Sigrun's face and a helmeted face grins, baring slightly bloody teeth. Laura is bruised, battered and utterly uncaring. This is something that makes her feel utterly alive. "Together." She repeats, turning so her back's to the Valkyrie and no enemy can backstab them. The severed treant before her is dismissed casually, a clawed hand stabbed into where its neck would be, and with a snarl and a twist of her arm, she rips its head away with a crack of bark, tossing it aside and into the pit. She then roars out, a clawed foot resting on its torso as she turns blood red eyes on the remaining foes.
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun draws up tall, briefly spreading her arms wide with sword and shield held up at the ends of her reach. "I AM SIGRUN! VALKYRIE OF FREYJA, LADY OF THE VANIR! LOOK UPON ME, BELOVED ENEMY!" She draws herself up into all her Fairest glory, shining like a beacon on the darkened battlefield. And when she has their attention, that beacon flares with painful brightness, blinding those enemies caught up in her ruse.
And in the wake of the flare she brings her sword down hard on the root of the creature facing Laura.
Fofo: The roots once again try to lash at Sigrun and Laura, but both of them manage to dance away and hack and slash at them.
Aurelio is less lucky, as he's on the ground wrestling. The vines start to grow over him. His armor yet again protects him, but one knotty tendril manages grab around his neck and squeeze.
Fofo: The roots end up getting the better of Aurelio, growing around him. He starts to get pulled into the dirt. He struggles to pull himself free, but its just... too much. His consciousness slips, and his body starts to sink.
Arthur Phoenix: "Shacka- oh I'll work on it later. Words are hard!" He replies to Alice's correction.
He holds up an arm and snags his lance from the air once more and scans for a new target, swiftly seeing Aurelio is getting ganged up on.
"Aurelio! Don't move! i've got your back!" He calls out before taking aim and sending the sunbeam arcing through the air to save his fellow page.
The sizzling sun spear lasers through the battlefield and sears through the treant like it was butter, embedding into the earth behind it, cutting its lifeline with a hiss, the tendril turning to black ash as the tree elemental collapses and shrivels.
Fofo: Something changes. The earth shakes even harder and more violently--but the roots and treants all let out wails of agony. The roots all around are twisting like insects curling in upon themselves. Withering. Dying. The ground cracks as the roots go mad with pain.
The other team must have been successful. The Tree is dying. Changing? It'll be over soon. If they can just survive a little longer.
But what remains seems enraged by it's own impending demise, sent into a berserking battle rage.
Fofo: The remaining treants, as enraged as they are, all turn their attention on Sigrun as she shines. They converge on her, trashing and slicing with all the can--but thankfully end up caught up in Laura's storm. Still, they manage to get solid hits, though her armor saves her from being ripped apart. (3 Bashing)
Laura Walker: There's a moment of pure silence from Hyena as all the treants converge on Sigrun in a combined attack. Even the sound of her storm seems to go mute a second. And then she's spinning, bloodied maw gaping and eyes just about glowing red as she roars out in unrestrained fury and leaps onto the back of one of the trio. Vines and wood are ripped through and her fangs sink into the back of its neck. Lightning tears through wood and small fires start as Hyena literally rips it to pieces with her bare hands.
She points a finger at another of them, and it too jolts as lightning strikes and burns into wood.(edited)
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun asked for this. It took the heat off Aurelio and Laura, but holy fuck do these ents hit hard. Her shield catches the worst of it, but the Valkyrie is battered off to the side once, twice, and back again with a third hard blow that passes over her sword guard and sends her head swimming. She briefly dips to a knee, sucking wind and dazed. With a roar she pushes back to her feet, turns away from the creatures that were thrashing her, and sensing the battle is almost ended, sprints across the field towards Aurelio. Her sword and shield are dropped to the ground a pace before she reaches what can be seen of his unconscious form. She reaches into the tangle of roots, gets what hold of him that she can, and howls out her effort as she plants her feet and strains her legs, arms, and back in an effort to keep his head above ground until this last gasp is over.
Fofo: With a roar Sigrun heaves, pulling Aurelio out from the ground seconds before the roots were threatening to crack all of the bones in his body like match sticks.
The roots in their death throws lash like whips around them--just desperately grasping and striking. One strikes Laura hard across the face. (1 Bashing)
The rest... continue to grasp at Aurelio and Sigrun.
Sigrun, you have a choice here--you can body block for Aurelio, but you will be taking the combined damage of both attacks.
Fofo: Sigrun throws herself onto Aurelio's stomach at the last second as the roots lash. Thank her gods for her armor, as it's the only thing that saves her life. Still, she's left with deep lash-like gashes that spread over her back, bleeding through her armor. (3L after armor)
Arthur Phoenix: Golden eyes wide, Arthur can see that Sigrun is unarmed, her arms straining and occupied with Aurelio. Laura is lost to her fury which leaves him as their only shield left.
Almost mindlessly, he hurls himself from the wall, his sun spear whizzing past him, it thuds into the catwalk where he stood, searing heat sending up a plume of smoke.
His feet hit the ground, and he rolls to absorb the impact with a grunt. But when he returns to his feet in a dead sprint, that shining spear is in his hands and it flashes in the light of his mantle.
"Sigrun! Get behind the wall!" The wizened hollers as his weapon severs the first treant and its roots in two.
He doesn't even pause to inspect his work as his spear whirls to cleave the second elemental into halves as well. His flourish comes to a stop then, the needle like point of his elemental weapon glistens in the light just before he drives it into the ground at the heart of these violent roots.
And then the ground stops shaking.
Fofo: The treants wither and die, falling to the ground and going still. The roots are carved back from Sigrun and Aurelio, shrinking away and withering to brittle kindling.
Suddenly... the shaking fades away to just a rattling tremble. Then nothing. The twisted dead roots remain frozen for a moment. Then, abruptly, they start to come back to life.
But they're... different, this time. They smooth out, not looking so knotted and dark. And all over them fresh spring green leaves and flowering buds start to grow. They descend back into the earth, moving through the ground like fish through water--slipping away out of sight.
The ground starts to smooth out. Grass grows. The cracks fill up. And the Hedge... It comes back to life. All around where there had been drying, dying hedgewalls, everything starts to resprout, turning lush and green. Thorns regrow. The gardens--while no doubt in need of tending to get back to their previous state--start to fill with weeds and vines and thorns, the soil rejuvenated.
Things are back to the way they should be. And most of all, the Freehold still stands strong. There's some minor repairs that will need to be made from the earthquake, but otherwise? It's their home, all in one safe piece.
Laura Walker: Laura takes deep breaths, wavering on her feet now the last of their enemies is dead and crumbled. She gathers up sword and shield and stumbles over to where Sigrun and Aurelio are, sinking to the ground with a pained exhale and patting at Sigrun's shoulder before offering her the items wordlessly.(edited)
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun's agonized shrieking as her ribcage is crushed dies out as the vines finally give up the ghost. She struggles to tear Aurelio and herself free from the roots, dragging the unconscious Aurelio out of the ground and about six feet away until her balance and strength give out and she stumbles to the ground, dropping him in the process. She strains out a hand to drag her blade back into her grasp and drapes herself over Aurelio's body protectively, rasping out pained gasps and coughing out flecks of blood, "Medic," she manages to rasp, her voice barely rising above speaking voice.
Spider: A root lashes through the air and catches Margaret full in the chest, knocking her back, and down off of the catwalk into the center area of the Freehold, inside the walls. She coughs hard, wind knocked out of her, and pushes herself slowly to her feet.
"Maggie, no!" Doll turns her attention from the battle, toward the fallen Sun's Tongue, to which Margaret replies, "Margaret. This is just number six, Doll, pay attention!" in between coughs. Doll, distracted, is struck by a projectile fired by the Hedge -- it pierces her side, and she screams.
Fire wreathes the massive volcano of a man as Peter rips and tears and -- the scream distracts him. "Dolly?" smack He gets hit, but he doesn't seem to really notice it, even as the cracks in his skin show fire blossoming through from beneath.
"Head on a swivel, this is when it gets real fun, solider," Devon chides, and the Crown glows on his forehead as Alice sends the crows down in a Hitchock-like swarm, overwhelming the roots attacking Peter.
Then the ground starts to smooth out, and Devon huffs. "Well, then." The Crown raises his voice: "Sing out!"
Arthur Phoenix: Turning, Arthur tugs his spearpoint out of the ground and watches briefly as the vegetation returns. He'd have smiled to see their work done, but his comrades were beaten and bloodied too close.
"Oh no..." He whispers, as he trots to Sigrun's side. "Oh. Nonononooo... U-um. Sigrun. W-we're done you d-don't have to protect him anymore. Oh c-crap. L-laura. Y-you're faster than me. Get a medic. Two if you can."
Laura Walker: Laura spits out some blood herself, breathing a little ragged. She glances at Sigrun and Aurelio, then Arthur, some of the awareness returning to her eyes.
Tilting her head back she lets out a still gruff shout to anyone listening. "Medic! Here!"
Sigrun Ljosdottir: The adrenaline is slowly being replaced with shock. Which isn't an improvement. Sigrun becomes aware that people are shouting for medics louder than she can, and that they're shouting for her and Aurelio. So she stops trying to do that. When the fight is declared over, Sigrun crawls up Aurelio's body to flop onto her back at his side with a pained wheeze and another cough. Her eyes are blurry, but she's still with it. "Aurelio first," she manages to say, trying to conserve her air and her strength.
Spider: "Doll!" With Peter's accent, it sounds like 'Dawl,' and his voice comes from the other side of the wall. Alice summons her crows with a whistle and takes up watch on the wall as Margaret gets to her feet, scowling, and goes up to join the Left-Hand Victor on the walls.
Doll twists her mouth; the Quartermaster spits blood out of her pretty porcelain lips. "I am coming, I am coming!" she grunts, dropping her bow with a clatter as she limps around the battlements, heading for Sigrun. Never mind that she's bleeding, too.
"Doll Wood!" Peter bellows from the opposite side of the Freehold. "Don't you run off! Damnit Doll, you're bleeding."
Arthur Phoenix: Thinking as quick as he can, Artie feels his spear in hand and remembers where he is.
"Oh. Hang on guys." He says and ateps back.
Lifting his spear he twirls and stabs again at the ground. Where he jabs, a tendril writhes up and a flower blossoms and a single fruit spawns.
He nabs the ripened fruit and ruahes back over to Sigrun. "Here S-sigrun. It's a hedgefruit. Eat it please." He says, pulling a knofe and cutting off a more manageable sliver to feed her.(edited)
Laura Walker: "We both know she won't." Laura tells Arthur quietly, glancing down at Aurelio's prone form. "But we're getting you seen to too." She advises Sigrun quietly on the heels of that acknowledgement.
Arthur Phoenix: "I can't feed Aurelio. He's unconscious but breathing? You can eat. I d-don't know first aid good enough for him." Artie admits. "Pl-please. Just chew on this."
Sigrun Ljosdottir: Sigrun's eyelids begin to flutter and her eyes begin to roll back into her head, she gathers some last reserve of endurance and reaches up for the fruit slice, shoving it into her mouth and chewing it with what little reserve she has left in her. The fact that it brings her out of the threat of lapsing back into unconsciousness sure is helpful, though. She pulls her sword up to her chest and lays it there while staring up at the sky and waiting for the healers. She does look up at Laura and manage a small, sad sort of smile, "Sorry." She tacks on a belated and dizzy, "Thanks, Artie."(edited)
Fofo: The fruit clears away the worst of Sigrun's injuries, allowing her to keep going more clear headed. Doll also helps Aurelio, bringing him back to consciousness. (Which you're free to pose, Spider, but wanted to pose this out for those that gotta go.)
Everyone looks battered, beaten, bloodied. No one came out of this fight without at least some scrapes. Even Devon has a tiny bruise or two where the earthquake had jostled him about.
The Summer King strides across the Hollow towards the group, his eye sliding from one to the other. Checking on each, then coming to approach the PCs. He looks over Sigrun, Laura, and Aurelio, examining their wounds, but doesn't look concerned. They might be beat to hell, but they'll live.
"It was a hard fought victory, but we did it. You all did me proud," he says with an approving nod, before he looks to Sigrun. "The defenses saved everyone's lives today. Without them we would've been overrun." He steps over to clap her on the shoulder.(edited)
Laura Walker: "Don't say sorry for being alive." Laura tells Sigrun, keeping a careful eye on her. She falls silent as the Summer King heads over, bowing her head lightly and wiping a few shreds of wood from her mouth.(edited)
Spider: A chunk of root still stuck through her side, Doll comes running down and drops to her knees next to Aurelio. One of her pale porcelain hands reaches into the air, pulling a memory of spring flowers from it and soothing his wounds. "Silly, silly, silly," she mutters, shaking her head: adrenaline does wonderful things, doesn't it? She's still running on that. Next, she scoots over on her knees toward Sigrun. "Look at these big heroes," she sighs, "big heroes."
"DOLL, GODDAMNIT!"
Ever seen a mountain launch himself up through the air and leap like the Incredible Hulk across the Freehold, landing with an earth-shaking thud near a Hedge wall, while chasing his stubborn-ass wife?
Well, now you have.
Arthur Phoenix: As real healers and important people arrive, Artie shuffles back out of the way. He'd tried his best to help but his betters were finally here so he sighed with relief and let his shoulders sag a little bit.
One by one, he lets his Contracts fade away, the Sun Spear up on the catwalk first, then his metallic flesh from Primal Glory, and then his silvery Elemental weapon collapses into a pile of coins which e stoops to gather up quietly, trying to fade into the background, wincing a little at his bruises.
Sigrun Ljosdottir: "That's why we built them, sir," Sigrun says as though his praise of her initiative were misplaced, somehow. "Is everyone else okay?" When the healing warmth washes through Sigrun's body, her eyes roll back in her head for an entirely different reason. There's a quiet whimper as the bones in her chest knit back together, but it passes once the healing is done. She's then able to sit up and gather her bearings. "Artie? Laura? You okay?" She pushes up off the ground and comes to balance gingerly on her feet. "Sir, could you hand me my shield, please." When Peter lands with such force, Sigrun's balance totters a bit. "Or sirs. Hello, Peter."
Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio's eyes opened slowly as Doll's weaving went to work, the rends in the marble where the deeper lashes had landed closing to leave patches of grey to go with the rest of the bruises earned during the battle. He let out a quiet "Mille grazie" as he sat up accompanied by the sound of creaking stone, nodding to Doll and Sigrun with appreciation before looking up to Devon.
Fofo: "Everyone's fine. More healers will probably be coming around to help now that the fighting is over." Devon leans down and grabs up the shield to offer over to Sigrun. He nods. "I'll make sure everyone that helped build 'em gets recognition, but your initiative has been noticed." He looks around at the rejuvenated Hedge. "Been a damn good day." Then he... just turns and walks away.
Arthur Phoenix: Blinking a little, Artie shoots a glance to Sigrun and nods with a thumbs up. "Yeah I-i'm fine. Just a little banged up c-cuz of the quake is all. And the jumping off a wall." He mutters.
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