Private Eastern Brisshal Growing Trouble

[Brutus Dahlgren]

It all started with a letter.

Fort Gundame was only a ten minute walk from the town of Honeyhome. Once a small woodcutters shack, the giant had received it as a gift from the town as a reward for clearing out a goblin infestation with his partner Corsair. Despite the relative proximity to town, very rarely if ever did Landers pay him a visit. Perhaps it was their programing? Perhaps they simply knew he was rarely ever in, either off on some crazy adventure, patrolling the woods, or "asleep". He would never know, which made it exceptionally rare when the giant woke up to find a letter nailed to his door. Curious the man would pry it from the rickety wooden frame and give it a quick once over.

Brucie.
You remember that nasty plantera creature you killed a long time ago? Couple of the boys were patrolling near the Barkgrove when they got attacked by a bunch of similar critters. We thought it was odd and followed up, and it would appear the whole region of the woods is crawlin with em. Not quite sure what in sam hell is goin on, but figured it would best be a problem for you to tackle. Come on down to town and give me a holler and we'll get a weed whackin team together."

-Stankins
​

Brutus made it to town in three minutes, boots half laced and hair half brushed. He would leap over a fence or two along the way, drawing the attention of the townspeople as he went. There was Brutus Dahlgren, the Platinum rank adventurer, hauling ass somewhere in a hurry. A murmur would brew throughout the town as the giant entered the Sheriff's abode, sending the whole town abuzz.

Nobody could say what, but something was clearly wrong, and the villagers all seemed unsettled by this. Housewives would murmur about some danger lurking in the forest, children would be absent from their usual play areas, and husbands seemed to be on edge keeping an eye on the road to the forest. You could practically cut the tension with a knife.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Kyra stepped out from the basement of the bakery and into the sunshine, stretching as she worked muscles that had clearly become sore with stiffness. She glanced around her, seeing a collection of nearby villagers staring down the street and mumuring among one another. Curious, as the actions were outside the norm from what Kyra had come to see, she crossed over to the group, her ears twitching as she listened to them.

"I saw him head right on over and into the sheriff's place. Something's going on, I'll bet my best knives on it. Not often we see someone like Brutus in such a hurry...and never a good sign, neither!"

Her ears suddenly perked up, the name sounding familiar for some reason. She tried searching her mind, but came up blank. She knew she'd heard it somewhere, but couldn't place exactly where. Fine. Guess we're going to go look, and sate the curiosity here...otherwise this will drive me nuts for days to come.

A quick huff and she was headed off down the street toward's the sheriff's office, considering how she was best going to introduce herself. She'd played through a number of different greetings as she stepped up onto the front entry, pushing open the door and stepping inside, before coming to a sudden halt as she found herself face to face with a collection of individuals - one of which she recongised almost instantly from a summertime visit at a lake, not long ago.

"Oh...hi. My bad. Am I intruding? I uh...heard that a Brutus was here, and causing some sort of...scene. Among the hamlet's folk. I thought maybe I would...uh...check it out, and make sure everything was okay..."

She had no idea why she'd come. What was she going to do, anyways? Heal them to death?

The thought brought a smile to her face, likely looking out of place as she bounced on her toes in front of the gathered individuals.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The gathered group of men had been huddled around a table bearing a map of the town and the surrounding area. The bulk of the group consisted of rather generic looking men, ages somewhere from twenty to forty, brown or blonde hair, lightly scruffed and clad in green cloaks signifying some sort of unity in bond or brotherhood. Standing head and shoulders above the crowd was Brutus, eyes narrowed into slits as he gazed intently on the map, only breaking his gaze to see Kyra. The moment his eyes registered who he was looking at, his expression softened.

"Intruding? You're a sight for sore eyes my friend." He would motion to the map. "I'm guessing your adventure senses were tingling, feel free to join in, we're going to need all the help we can get."

At the head of the table was a man who looked sorely out of place. Easily the eldest in the group, he looked well into his sixties, his wrinkled face sporting busy silver eyebrows and a matching curly cue mustache. His crooked nose propped up a pair of silver spectacles, and his silver hair was greased neatly back. His clothing was something of a mix of Cowboy, denim trousers and cotton shirt, but his vest, boots, and gloves all screamed something out of a Victorian era vampire slayer novel. His silver eyes would dance from the map to the woman and nod to her, appraisingly.

"Brucie vouchin for you gets you a spot at the table lassie. Come on in."

The men would scooch aside for the woman to enter into the huddle as the cowboy man would continue to debrief. "Anyways, we've had encounters here," his finger would jab a point about a day's travel north, "here" another spot to the north west of that location would be jabbed, "and here" his final tap would be to the east of the second location. "If you triangulate em, you'll notice that the Barkgrove is practically smack dab in the middle. I'd be willin to best on Esther's Donuts that the plant critters have made some kind of nest in there and are growing like weeds. I don't think I'd have to elaborate on how bad that would be to leave unchecked eh?" He would give them all a very serious look.

"So I got Brucie on board with heading up a subjugation just to be on the safer side of things. Add in the lil missy and we've got two Starcalled on our side. Big Red has fought these things before, and he's got some fire to grill it back. The rest of you are there as support and extra eyes for the situation. What can you tell us about what we're dealin with Bruce?"

The Lion, who had been thoughtfully peering at the map silently would blink upon being called on the speak, rubbing his chin thoughtfully he would speak after a moment of reflection. "They can blend in with the vegetation, so we'll need to be careful about ambushes. They can also burrow in the earth, so we'll need to be careful about them popping up on our feet. Other than that, their range of engagement is limited by their tendrils. They like to wrap you up and constrict, but given the nature of their appendages slashing weapons will be useful in cutting people free. The best course of action would be to keep a buddy system, but don't be too close together. If you buddy gets tangled try to cut em free, if you can't, get help. Fire's good against them, but we need to be careful. Too much loose flame and we could ignite the entire barkgrove and potentially start a forest fire that's nigh impossible to contain."

The men would nod along as the giant spoke, hanging on his words. For his part, Brutus would motion with his hands as he spoke. "We have no idea what their numbers are going to be like, so there's not point in being heroes. I'm going to get back up if I fall, but you?" He would look to the crowd. "You have one life to give, don't throw it away."

The men would nod worriedly at the tone of the giant.

"Get your things together boys, we'll be leaving in one hour. Kiss your wives and kids and sharpen your wits and blades." The cowboy would clap his hands sending the men dispersing. Brutus would venture around the table to stand alongside Kyra, raising an eyebrow.

"Kyra right? Nice to see you again. This is Old man Stankins." He would motion to the aging cowboy who would give the woman a nod. "Stankins, this is Kyra. She's a comrade of some of my close friends so I'm more than comfortable dragging her along for the ride if she wants to come along."

"Pleasure to meetcha Ms Kyra." The man would offer her a hand to shake. "To catch you up to speed, we're dealing with some prickly plant monsters know as Planterra's. They've been popping up in alarming numbers, and we're not quite sure why but all we know is our garden needs a bit of a weedin so we've called in the big guns." With his other hand he would give Brutus a pat on the shoulder. "What sorts of skills are you bringin to the table?"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Her ears would twitch constantly as the older man spoke, her expression passive as her eyes flitted between speaker, map and Brutus. Her mind raced trying to take in all the information, to memorise as much as she possibly could as they provided an overview of something obviously familiar to them, but near foreign to herself.

Not that she wasn't used to engaging with the near-foreign - that's how these games went. Except Terrasphere wasn't just a game; you had to be aware, had to be cautious. Otherwise, you didn't need to worry too much about how dangerous that beast you were tackling really was.

Another twitch of the ears as she was introduced, smiling at the man named Stankins, bowing her head slightly. She gave Brutus a glance as he introduced her - was she really good friends with friends of his? Something to keep tucked in the mind and ask about later - before looking back at Stankins.

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm just happy I was around to help, you managed to catch my...err...senses, at a good time. I just finished off with some work I was doing, and happened upon the meeting by chance."

She smiled sheepishly, obviously skipping over the topic of her work. She doubted the folk here would take kindly to her research; she'd come to learn that it wasn't considered a welcome art in some of these areas - although she still had no exact idea why, or where exactly these disagreements arose from. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Planterras...not really familiar with them, but from the sounds of it...I'd guess they're kind of like some sort of weed-meets-monster form, and not the friendly kind, either. I'd be more than happy to help out - Honeyhome has been quite welcoming to myself and a few of my companions, and I'd love to return the favour for everything that everyone here has done. Besides, from the sounds of it, it could be dangerous...which means this guy is going to need me watching his back, and making sure he doesn't go to sleep forever."

She flashed a grin meant to inspire humour, before realising how close to the deadly truth she'd been. Sleeping forever was far too realistic of what could happen, given everything they knew about the game. Her left hand settled on the scythe at her hip, unconsciously touching the weapon for comfort even as she shivered in response to the sudden dark thoughts.

"With any luck...all I'll do on this fun ride is to watch, and maybe learn a thing or two. Hopefully I'm not needed at all, right?"

The final question she shot towards Brutus, rhetorical in a sense, and yet somehow still hoping for some sort of recognition, or answer. She wasn't sure what she had just gotten herself into, but she knew that more than likely, once again, her skills would be needed - the questions were simply, how much, and how often?

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"With any luck this will be a simple and clean operation." Brutus would parrot the woman's words slightly, nodding as if to reassure himself of his own words. "We go in, find the source, rip it out root and stem and come home to celebrate eh?" The cowboy frowned slightly, but didn't say anything to the contrary, simply placing his hand on his hips where a six shooter hung holstered in fancy black leather. Giving them both a silent nod, the man would stride away to chastise a group of young men who were still lingering in his doorway.

The Lion would turn to the fox woman and take a deep breath. "Thanks for dropping in. I'm not quite sure how much of a battle we're in for, but something isn't sitting right. Having another pair of hands around will be reassuring." His eyes would flit to the map, then back to her. "So then, because we've never done the whole adventuring together thing, what sort of skills are you bringing to the table? I'm mostly a ranged combatant but I can get up close and personal if I need to. I've got Geomancy and Pyromancy under my belt in terms of magic. If you stick within arms reach of me I'll do my best to make sure you don't get hurt."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Kyra glanced over the map as Brutus quickly looked at it again, before turning back to her. She found it difficult, maintaining eye contact with the more experienced player. Although she'd been around numerous other players - players who were likely as much, or more dangerous than this man was - Kyra felt that this man gave off a far more of an imposing vibe.

"Skills? Well, uh, healing is my main focus - Spirit based healing and of course the Mend extra feature. I'm also a capable enough frontline fighter, if need be. I can attack with the scythe, or take a more defensive approach with my hemomancy...although I'm much more used to hanging back and providing more of a supportive role, than actually being engaged in the fight..."

Her feet shuffled against the floor slightly as she shifted in place. Truth be told, she had limited experience offensively - aside from the horse incident, and a few other minor occasions, she'd spent the majority of her time focusing on supportive skills.

"Although, as I consider the fact that we're facing plants, I don't know how useful hemomancy is going to be...pyromancy seems like it might be more useful. So maybe I'll uh...leave all the burny-burny to you, then?"

She flashed one of her beaming smiles, hoping that her cuteness factor would win over the other. In a word, she'd stated that she was relatively useless, albeit helpful in keeping one alive. But that was what she had designed herself to be, the helpful supporter. The one who boosted the others, and kept them alive. Everything has its benefits, and its deficits...just so happens that hurting things isn't your strength here. But you can always prove your worth in other ways.

She glanced at the map again, considering everything that was going on, before pinning another question to the more experienced player.

"What are these things anyways? I got the sense that it's some sort of plant, with the whole vines and tentacles bit, but...what exactly is it? Any advice when facing it, aside from keep an eye on each other?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Your healing will be a boon to the trip then. If you focus on using your support skills to aid myself and the other huntsmen, it will allow us to fight harder and longer, potentially turning the tide of the battle." The man would pat her shoulder and beckon for her to follow them as they spoke. "There's no scoffing good support masteries. With the right spells, heals, and buffs, you can push people miles past their normal limits. That sort of coordination is what made the Kurungar fight possible." They would leave the sheriff's house and begin to make their way to the edge of town.

"As for that these creatures are...well they're strange little...potato critters. Their main body is a bulbous growth, kind of like a seed. Sprouting out from them is a bunch of vines that they use to tunnel and move around. In order to kill them you gotta crush the core. You can cut the vines all you want, wont do anything but inconvenience it."

Once at the edge, several other huntsman had begun to gather. About three or so young men all looking rather grim as the milled about aimlessly. "But don't worry about it to much, focus on keeping the landers and I alive and I'll try to do most of the heavy lifting."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Potato looking critters. Well, it is a fantasy game...bound to have a weird thing or two here. She nodded as Brutus spoke, keeping her thoughts to herself, at least for the time being. As they reached the edge, and were joined by the other hunstmen, Kyra broke into a skip, jumping ahead and greeting the Landers with an overly cheery personality. A few pleasantries later, and she was back at Brutus' side, the cheery expression hovering, but diminished as she spoke lowly to the big man.

"Yeah, keeping them alive will be a priority. How many of them will realistically make it back to Honeyhome alive and well? How dangerous is this thing? These things? I'm assuming there's more than one?"

A shiver ran down her back as she considered the fact that so few might return. She knew that if things went horrible, there was little she could do to protect them all, and that she'd have to make dark decisions.

"It's sometimes terrifying what we have to do...isn't it? Deciding who lives, and who dies? Choosing a real life over a Landers, as if it's any different from our own."

She glanced up at Brutus, wondering if the man would understand her concerns, her thoughts. Not many in this game viewed the Landers as much more than computer generated artificial intelligence programs, something that could be tossed aside for enjoyment and fun, or to save themselves if need be. Kyra had never been able to do that, there was something far too human about them.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

A couple of the young men would put on false smiles and return the pleasantries of Kyra, the fear of the coming battle passing for one fleeting moment. As she scampered back to Brutus, the giant would muse upon her question before answering.

"When I first encountered them, there was about six or so small fry and one big one. I was...new to the game and not nearly as strong as I am now and managed to beat them back with mild difficulty. If their numbers are significantly bigger though, we're potentially going to run into a problem."

Her second question took him off guard, causing him to frown slightly.

"Let me put it this way, I am currently deathless. If you have to choose between saving a lander or me, I want you to save a lander. I will gladly put my life on the line, I have two that aren't going to kill me. They won't wake up in a church like me. Your life is also important, do your best to keep yourself and the landers alive. I will do my best to stay safe as well, but in terms of priorities..." he would motion to the young men she had just spoken too.

"They have families here, while this might be a game to us, it's not for them. They don't have a choice, it's fight to defend them or let their families be in danger. I would prefer there not to be crying mothers and wives today."

As he concluded his speech, several more huntsmen began to convene. Almost twenty in total, surely the group could not get any larger. "If you need to do any prep before we head out, I would recommend you take care of it out now..."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Her ears twitched again as she turned to listen to Brutus' responses. As the topic turned towards the life of themselves, versus the life of the Landers, Kyra felt her eyes squint ever so slightly, as the ears atop her head folded downwards. She listened carefully, quietly until the other had finished talking. The words of the larger man surprised her, bringing tears to her eyes as she glanced towards the Landers that had begun to arrive around them.

"No...nothing that I need to prepare. I...tend to travel light. Everything I need is right here in one of these pouches, or the bag..."

Her hands patted the pouches on her hip, gesturing towards the small leather backpack on her back. She shuffled her feet for a few moments, eyeing over the Landers around them before another question came to her mind, one that was likely something that would be important to be aware of, considering the possible inclinations.

"Do...do the people around here take...err...issue, with the taboo-blood-magic-thing?"

She leaned in closer and whispered the final part of her question. She knew that some of the population was opposed to the specific type of magic, and wanted to be sure that she wasn't going to cause any further problems if this group appeared to have those concerns.

Once she'd confirmed the situation with Landers, Kyra would wave a hand and give a nod to signal her readiness, before following the more experienced player's lead.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"If it's being used to defend the people of Honeyhome I don't think they'll mind too much, just..." he would pause leaning down to her. "Be...sensitive about it. Hemomancers have caused this town trouble in the past and some of the older gents might take a bit of offense if you're using it in a non emergency." He would pause for a moment and shrug. "Worse comes to worse if anyone takes issue with it they'll have to take it up with me."

Righting himself, he would address the group as they had all gathered. "Alright boys, here's the drill. We're going out there, kicking some plant ass, and coming the fuck home eh?" He would motion outwards with his hands towards them. "Tonight we're drinking at the Cozy Nook Inn, first rounds on me." This would get a few cheers from some of the men, but others were still uneasy.

"And what is it that Stankins' always saying?" he would ask.

"Drinking songs not Funeral Dirges!" One of them would call out.

"That's it! Drinking songs tonight ay?" A few men would pep up, not all were cheering, but a great deal of them seemed to have their spirits raised. "So lets go show em they can't fuck with our home!"

Taking the lead, Brutus would lead the group into the woods. The first hour was smooth sailing, but after a while they would leave the road and begin to blaze their own path off the standard trails. The going was slow and grueling, but soon they were drawing nearer and nearer to their location, maybe an hour or more away.

"Keep sharp crew," Brutus would command quietly to the group. "We're due for some trouble soon."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Kyra watched intently as the bigger man tried to rally the group, clearly determined to get them in the 'fighting spirit' that she'd read, and seen, in many forms of media. The effect was...well, books and movies definitely made it seem far easier. Still, a small portion of them seemed intent on their task, although she couldn't blame the outliers at all.

"Inspiring people is far more difficult than one would think. Especially when you're asking them to walk to a possible death, no matter how much you assure them of their own safety."

She muttered the words as she bounded along beside Brutus, eyeing the man out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure what to make of him - he was definitely someone who cared, and clearly about more than just himself or those Starcalled around him. Stop lying to yourself, you like him. The sudden intrusive thought brought a blush to Kyra's face, and a sudden leap in her movements that would appear almost jerky and oddly out of step.

"Well, at least I should be able to hear, or...feel anything coming towards us, with any sort of luck. Beastfolk, we're in tune with the area around us."

She beamed a smile, trying to cover up her embarrassment as she spoke loud enough for the men around them to hear - not quite shouting, but trusting the sound to carry, and the commentary to be passed along. Already she heard a few of them repeating the words, as if in question - but they were speaking to one another, that was already an improvement.

"Which..."

The single word was all she got before she suddenly stopped, her ears and nose twitching as she sensed the area around her. Something was off, the very feel of the air felt...Danger! The single word was in her mind before she was moving, her scythe out and her feet propelling her forward with a speed that would seem fast for the short-legged girl.

"Watch out!"

She slammed into one of the nearby men of the group, knocking him to his back in a pile of curses that were all masculine in tone, rolling off her shoulder and bounding to her feet again as the vine reeled back, likely preparing for another assault.

"Ambush!"

Kyra's body was vibrating as she glanced around, watching for any further signs of the thing. A snarl had begun to grow in her throat, and for a moment she almost forgot why she was there. Healies! You're not a fighter! Leave that to the others, focus on keeping them all up and standing!

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

It happened all at once. The vine whipped at a nearby huntsman, and before the giant could react Kyra was takling him out of the way as three of the creatures set upon them from the treetops. Droping from above they spread their thorny tendrils wide, casting wide nets as trued to wrap as many of the hunting party as they could.

"Destroy the cores! Watch the branches and watch you legs!" Brutus would bark drawing a shotgun from his Ui and racking a slug.

Three huntsmen would find themselves tangled up in writhing verdant limbs screaming in fear as three more drew their blades and began trying to hack their feiends free. The plant creature thwarted by Kyra would find itself empty handed, gnashing its teeth angrily as he wriggled and writhed forward. The man tackled to the ground would hiss and begin stabbing at it with his spear.

The third one didn't mine words as it lunged straight for Brutus with a screech. The giant, unflinching, simply stomped his foot and a bolt of stone rose from the earth smashing into the creature and sendint it airborne. He would shoulder his gun, peer down the sights and

BOOM

He'd fire a shot, ejecting the spent casing as he racked another slug. The potatoe esk core of the creature lost a quarter of its form as the bullet made contact.

BOOM

The second shot scattered it into mush, almost like a clay pudeon going skeet shooting.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Her scythe in hand, Kyra watched for those in need. The vines were everywhere, lashing out and trying to capture as many of the huntsmen as they could. Still, the huntsmen fought back, their blades slashing against the vines in valiant attempt.

"We got this! Just keep pushing bac-"

Her words were cut off at the loud roar of something, the clicking sound that came after drawing Kyra's overwhelmed attention towards the chambering shotgun. Her right hand placed against her head, the shock of the pain causing her to sway on her feet. Stumbling, she barely dodged out of the way of a vine lashing out towards her.

Scythe slashing, the chain rattling, she made her way towards one of the huntsmen nearby, lying on the ground and clearly injured. She dropped to her knees, placing her hands on the body and calling upon her Spirit Magic, closing over the wounds as she squeaked in pain, the magic tearing her apart inside as it always did.

She pulled her hands back, glancing over the un-moving body as she slowly realised there was no breath coming from it, no signs of life. For a moment, fear crept through Kyra, trying to figure out what had happened, what had gone wrong. Her mind a mess, she placed her hands on the individual again, chanting as she did so, drawing on the spirit magic once more.

"I give unto you...this gift of life...may if provide you...that which is needed..."

Her scream erupted as the magic tore from her, spreading through the individual beneath her hands and causing the corpse to suddenly jump upright.

"Ohgods...you're okay...you're okay...thank the gods..."

She glanced around, looking for somewhere else to help, but the fight had already taken a turn. Slowing down as the huntsmen managed to push the things back, destroying the few that didn't immediately retreat.

"That's never a good sign..."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Things were going too smoothly to be true, Kyra was correct. Brutus had smashed one to bits in a matter of seconds, but the other two were giving the landers quite a fight. As the fox managed to heal one of the boys from near death, three others worked desperately to hack away at the perpetrator seeking vengeance for their injured comrade. Their swings were frantic and sloppy, barely managing to slice into the brambly appendages of the creature before another huntsman (The one who'd been tackled to the ground) lunged forward and pierced the creature's core on his spear.

The other group had just about made short work of the other one when two more popped out of the dirt. "REINFORCEMENTS" one of the huntsman shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the WHOOSH Brutus dashing past him, sped up by jets of flame at his feet. One creature would try to lunge at him, but it would be met with the barrel of his gun pressed to it's core and BLAM.

"Get the other one!" Brutus would bark to the group standing around the speared plant creature. "And keep moving! If we let them stall us they can swarm us!"

The healed warrior took some time to take stock of his injuries (or lack thereof) and would give @Kyra Vashtana a nod. "Stay close and I'll defend you with my life ma'am"

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

In any other time, or place, the words of the healed individual would have been endearing. Here, though, it brought a crude smile to Kyra's face as her ears and tail twitched with anticipation. She glanced at the man - her expression animalistic in many ways - before shaking her head, a tone of humour in her voice.

"How about I defend you...stay behind me, and use that weapon of yours carefully. We'll cover each other's back - but we're going to keep you out of danger a bit. My purpose here is to keep you all alive, so let's make sure I can do that."

She was up and moving before he could argue. Credit where credit is due, the man shambled after her quickly, catching her before she'd made it more than fifteen steps. She dodged another of the vines, before seeing an individual struggling with one of the cores, trying desperately to slam his shortsword through the hardened exterior that was resisting it's point.

"I give unto thee the power to strike...that which lays before thee, may it ever fall before your hand..."

A flash of light that only her eyes could see, as the tendril reached out and connected with the individual, the sword suddenly sinking into the core of the plant as if passing through water. The man looked surprised for a moment, before giving a cheer of enthusiasm.

Kyra turned, catching sight of the chaos around them. There were few of the men needing immediately medical help, and so she turned her attention to providing the only other support she felt was necessary - her inside burning as she tore more, and more of herself apart, the buffing magic stretching her thin as she coursed with a light that only her eyes could see, her only sign of what she was doing visible in her grinding teeth, the squeaks of pain that erupted from her, and the sudden shift in the fight itself.

"I give unto thee...the power to stand against that which threatens your homes, your people, your loved ones...take this gift, and strike at the darkness hitherto before you..."

The words poured out, even as the pain strung her from within. She fought against it, determined not to give in now, determined not to surrender to any of it. She was here, she would give her all in the defence of this home, although it may not be her own.

Spoiler

Background music

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The men would forge forward, following in the footsteps of Brutus as they made their way to their goal. With Kyra's buffs coursing through them, the men fought with a level of vigor and zeal they'd never experienced in their lives. More and more of the smaller plant creatures would pop from the earth or the treeline, but would find themselves at the business end of Brutus' gun, or a swiftly shoved spear, or perhaps dozens of hacking short swords.

It made the last grind towards the grove a grueling and arduous trek. Blood sweat and tears were shed along the way, but no lives were lost. Men would cycle to the back to chug potions that had been stocked up on by the local medicine woman, mending minor wounds and providing them the ability to fight on. When the group broke into the grove, what they found was...horrifying.

The Barkgrove was a roughly the diameter of a football field, a treeless depression in the land that naturally gathered shredded bark from snake trees. The entirety of the grove was buried in half rotted mulch, but in the center of it was a new feature. A massive verdant bulb jutting from the center with a litany of emerald appendages from it. Each vine jutting from this creature was covered in strange bulb like growths.

"You have got to be shitting me..." Brutus breathed as they broke the perimeter. "It's like some fucking kind of...queen."

It was then, as he spoke, that the creature began to stir. It was about the size of a small building, and it's tendrils thicker than most tree trunks as it began to lift itself from the nutritious soil, its bulb unfurling to reveal a monstrous maw of teeth coated in acid as it let out a massive howl. The bulbous growths from it's vines began to peel away and fall into the muchly ground, popping back out as tinier baby versions of the monsters they had fought previously.

This was going to be one hell of a fight.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

They'd pushed forward, fighting every step of the way as Kyra and her newfound guard ducked and dodged, roaming through the lines and making sure that everyone possible was watched, maintained. She was sure that they lost some - there was no doubt, in the chaos. Whether they were dead or not, she wasn't sure - it couldn't be confirmed until they made their way back, and took an actual calling of who was lost, if anyone.

"Need to keep...pushing forward. No choice now...just...keep going. You still with me?"

She glanced at her newfound guard - she'd have to confirm his name once they had returned. It felt wrong not to know, considering everything they'd been through in the last...Gods how long has it been...? Hours...? Minutes? I can't even tell...so tired... The fatigue was the worst. The adrenaline kept her going, but she knew that soon, even that would falter and fail.

---

The opening wasn't what Kyra had expected. She'd seen the Barkgrove once before, back when she'd visited with Toko. It had been...an experience. But this...this was something else entirely. A wreathing mass of horror, the smells, sounds and scents almost overwhelming her mind as they assailed her heightened senses.

"What...what is that?"

She whispered the words as she came to stand up beside Brutus, her guard on the other side of her whispering what she assumed was some sort of prayer, or possible a curse. She held her scythe to her side, the blade tainted a green colour that she knew came from the vines and plants that she had slashed on her way here.

"We...we need to end this...quickly...can't draw it out..."

Whether the other man heard or not, the main group had arrived, the flow of their own momentum carrying them forward. Kyra resisted for a moment, before giving in, the magic releasing from her once more as she struggled to stay aloft.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"That is momma plant." Brutus answered, "And all of her babies too it looks like." She wasn't wrong with her second statement. He could hear her heart pounding, the fight to this point had taken its toll on her and she wasn't going to last much longer. The men behind them weren't much well of either, but it would appear that luck had been mostly on their side. Unless Mama Plantera had other patrols out, which she would have likely already pulled to try and push them back, meaning that the swarm of infants was probably all she had left.

"Hold the line men! We're almost there!"

He didn't have time to take roll, but he imagined at least two or three men had either fallen or fled. He would toss aside his shotgun, letting it disappear into his UI once more. Some watching would be confused, that was until he pulled out something else.

Post Kurungar fight he'd lost his canon, melted to slag with the sheer pressure he'd put it under. It had taken weeks, toiling in mines and grinding materials, designing perfection, and assembling. But now in his arms was the sum of his work.

The Cerberus Canon.

A trio of massive barrels, formed of glistening dark metal that glimmered in the sunlight. Each barrel was capped with the depiction of a massive hounds open maw. "Mind your ears!" He would bark, opening the back hatch and slapping in a strange cluster shell into it. Cramming it shut, he would grin a bit.

There was nothing better to fire his first volley on.

BOOM.
One.
BOOM.
Two.
BOOM.
Three.

Each barrel would fire one after another, the first landing on a cluster of incoming infantile Planteras. The second landing on a vine and smashing through it, the third stiking home in the matron's mighty maw causing it to howl in anger.

"COME FUCKING GET SOME."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Kyra's eyes twitched to the side as the cannon appeared. There was no doubt what it was - it was a metal creation of absolute destruction, and as it took form in the man's arms, Kyra had only one thought. Shit my ears-

She just had time to reach up and cover them, when the first volley fired, tearing into her hearing in a way that she was sure was going to cause bleeding. She cried out against the noise, her head spinning as she forced herself up after the third shot. Hoping it was over, she pushed herself into movement, calling upon her magic in order to help those around her.

Most had begun the final assault, throwing themselves at the smaller creatures with a vigor that bespoke the near end of a conflict, a desire to finish it all. A few met immediate impalement - not making it far beyond the very edges of the pit itself, before finding themselves pierced, and thrown aside. Kyra knew there was little to do for those ones, but there were others still...

"May this blessing provide you the fury you need...may it instill in you the protection that the spirits beyond hold...may this boon guide you, to the end..."

A burst of energy as she unleashed her Fervent Spirit, watching as it connected with a collection of nearby soldiers, allowing them to push themselves beyond their limits.

The boom of the cannon erupted again, further away from Kyra, allowing her to wince against the sound before carrying on forwards. Her own scythe slashed out at the nearby vines, her guard behind her covering her back.

We're almost there...one final push...

@Brutus Dahlgren