Private Eastern Brisshal Growing Trouble

[Brutus Dahlgren]

All hell had broken out.

With Kyra's buff, those that remained fought with power they'd never felt before in their lives. The plan seemed pretty cut and dry, take care of the little fuckers and keep them off Brutus as he went toe to toe with mamma plant. The giant strode forward, seemingly unimpeded by the massive canon he hefted alongside him. As he moved, his large hands would crank open the back hatch ejecting spent shells and replacing them with another round in one easy motion.

BOOM
BOOM
BOOM

His blasts came in staccato triplicates, this batch focused on the creatures maw as it staggered back and away from him. Howling, it would whip a verdant flail in his direction sending earth, much, and vegetation flying as the massive limb rumbled towards him. Squatting, Brutus would leap into the air, flames igniting beneath his feet as he shot into the air like a rocket on his own and soared above the attack.

He'd become a fighter jet now.

Soaring above the canopy, and taking the creatures attention skyward and away from the group, he would flit about sending a barrage of shots down from on high. Most of them were focused on the broodmother, but some of them would land on freshly spawned mini mobs as they rose from the mulch.

Had Brutus not feared a forest fire, he would have opted to sear this creature to a crisp, but things were never easy like that. He had mama on the ropes, all he needed now was for the boots on the ground to hold off long enough to let him finish the job.

"I've got her on the ropes!" He would call out. "Just a little longer!"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Kyra's head pounded in rhythm with the cannon fire from above. She'd barely registered the chaos that was Brutus, as he soared above the battlefield - far too focused on the fight right in front, and around her. She'd cast what little she had left, providing support for those nearby until her soul felt torn to shreds. There was little left to do beyond pulling forth her scythe and joining the assault against the small creatures.

"On your left! Careful...careful! Almost...there!"

She called out to the soldier who had remained with her, the man covering her as she helped push forward. The forward rush had begun to falter - once strong, now the weariness of the never-ending fight beginning to wear upon them all.

From above, she heard Brutus suddenly shout, his voice roaring in between the concussive shots of the cannon. Kyra growled softly. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Her body ached, her very core felt exhausted. But Brutus needed her help to ensure they didn't break, and she wasn't about to let him down now.

"Come on! Not much longer now! We can do this! Just keep pushing forwards! Keep the pressure on them! We're almost done here! A little bit longer and we'll have victory!"

She had no idea if anyone else heard her, or if the roar of combat drowned out her voice. Regardless, those around her continued to push forward, continued to fight to their dying breaths, as long as they could. There was no other options, no other choice but forward.

@Brutus Dahlgren​

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Between the firing of his canons, the roar of the flames beneath his feet, the screeching of plants, and the battle cries of men it was impossible to tell if any of those below had heard his urgings. Diving low to swoop under a thrashing vine, the giant would let the wind sheer cool his sweltering body as he plunged towards the creature's open maw. He wasn't quite sure how long the battle had gone on for, but it didn't really matter. Every second he was closer to the end of his rope, and ever second was another in which Kyra and the other boots on the ground were left hanging.

BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Another round of shots were hastily sunk into the goliath gourd's gnashing maw, surely not the meal it was looking for but the one Brutus was cooking up for it as lead shattered it's acid soaked teeth. Another screech and a more frantic swipe with the vine, this one narrowly avoided as a spine managed to nick the Lion's flank drawing a deep gash and a grunt from the giant as he began to spiral out of control.

"Shit shit shit."

The words were growled like a mantra as his sapphire eyes squeezed shut. Drowning out the pain, he managed to regain control of his flight, opening his eyes to pull up right before hitting a bed of rotten mulch. Taking to the sky he would shoot up straight like a rocket, sluggish tendrils sloppily snatching at the smoke left in his wake. While the creature was large in size, it was not meant to deal with a foe as fast and furious as the Felis.

Reaching the zenith of his ascent, the lion would disengage the flames and let gravity take hold as he spun back around downwards. Now falling headfirst, he would take aim with his canon and begin to focus his pyromantic power into the three firing pins, one located in each barrel. He needed to be incredibly precise, one misplaced shot could spell a forest fire that would engulf those below. Taking a deep breath, he felt the fire begin to build up in the canon and with a singular shout would announce his next move.

"DAHLGREN SPECIAL TECHNIQUE. HELLFIRE BARRAGE."

Pulling all three triggers at once, and releasing the built up flame, he would shoot three massive fireballs down upon the creature as he howled and lashed upwards at him. The pyromancy blitzed through the air, past the writhing tendrils and into the creatures guts. Three fireballs would explode inside it's guts, igniting the acid within and forcing the creature to expand. It's body was unable to contain the burst and with a mighty gush, popped into a litany of pieces of fleshy shrapnel.

The giant would fall to the ground, slowing his descent, but still landing with a mighty thud and the crack of his knees. He'd be feeling all of this later, but for the moment he would turn to try and find @Kyra Vashtana and the Huntsmen to see how they were faring. One hand clutching his bleeding side, the other dragging his steaming canon behind him.

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Roaring from above, conscussions from all around, and the general cries of the battlefield engulfed Kyra. She swayed with the noise, barely able to hold back the pain she was feeling from it all. Is this...is this what a true battlefield feels like? Everything was so overwhelming, so entirely encompassing. She couldn't think straight, couldn't feel right. It was all too much.

She'd pressed forward with her guard, somehow still fighting onwards even with everything screaming inside her to simply shut down. There was nothing she could do about it, but press forwards. Her scythe swinging as she cut down the vines that reached for them, the chain rattling as the small blade on the end of it lashed forwards to stab at another core.

The chaos was overwhelming, the cries of those living and those dying seeming to mingle in a way that left Kyra lost, confused and unsure of how they were progressing. Whatever was happening, she was lost to the moment, unable to tell...unable to know...

---

It was the sudden silence that she noticed first. The way that it seemed to hover over everything. Next, came the realisation that she was standing, unmoving, as another spoke to her. She turned her head, seeing the guard who had accompanied her thus far, staring at her, his lips moving but the sound not registering properly.

"What...? What did you say...?"

Her own voice spoke as if from a distance, barely audible to her. She staggered, the scythe suddenly so heavy. Turning, she looked at the chaos around her, taking in the injured, the dead, and the devastation that had been caused. Was...this all worth it?

"Where's...where's Brutus?"

She hadn't seen the big man since he disappeared into the sky, his cannon drowning out most of the noise for a time, before everything else erupted. She wasn't even sure if he was still alive, if he was still walking. She doubted that he felt much better than she did, if he was.

Her eyes searched for the man, trying to locate him in the mass of bodies, before realising how exhausted she truly was. Suddenly swaying, she seated herself, deciding that she needed a moment before going in search. She waved away the concern of the guard, assuring him that she was okay and just needed a moment.

"What ever-living hell..."

@Brutus Dahlgren​

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Staggering forward, Brutus managed to survey the scene. Of the twenty men that had arrived, eight people stood alongside Kyra. Twelve deaths? A quick survey of the ground around could confirm at least three of those, poor mangled souls lying face down in the mulch. His heart tore asunder, he knew these young men, he knew their families. Grimacing, he turned his gaze from the dirt as he managed to continue staggering forward. Three bodies meant nine were unaccounted for, and with that there could be some hope. Perhaps some had turned away in fear, perhaps others were merely injured.

Only time would tell.

Lumbering from the smoke, the exhausted giant managed to erect a small wall of earth and mud to contain the wreckage of the queen/matron/whatever the fuck it was. Hopefully it's smoldering remains would remain just that, smoldering remains and not a fire waiting to happen.

He would find himself catching up to the group, blood spilling out across his shirt, the slice hard to miss as he ran his gaze across the men.

"We're not out of the woods yet." He would managed between gritted teeth. The men would look at their hero with a mixture of fear and awe in their eyes. "Get those men out of the mud." He would motion to the corpses. "And let's retrace our steps looking for any of the others. Nine are unaccounted for, if we hurry we might be able to save some lives." Turning to @Kyra Vashtana he would take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then exhale. His body was soaked in sweat, and he was on the verge of collapsing from heatstroke, but he would offer her a nod and a grimace a bit.

"I know you're probably exhausted, but if there's any juice left in the tank could you try and treat some of the wounded? They're walking now, but if those wounds get infected they could be in for a world of hurt in the next few days..."

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Eyes hollow from what she had just gone through, Kyra nodded at Brutus' words. She felt exhausted, her body and soul aching as she pulled herself to her feet, before turning to look at the men who remained. So many...started with so many...only eight...eight left...

"I think I can...in a few minutes. Need to...rest myself. And recover...then I can help them...they should all be okay for now, at least..."

She slid back down to sit for a moment, her exhaustion taking over her willpower finally. Beside her, the same man who had watched over her during battle stood watch, his sword held at the ready even though the majority of the fighting had already come to an end. Kyra couldn't believe the attention that the man was giving to her life, the sacrifices he'd been willing to make. For me...who can die and return, yet...if he dies, it ends...

She fought against the emotions that welled up inside her, turning her attention towards what needed to be done. Swaying to her feet, she began moving through the small collection of men, closing over the wounds that appeared most threatening, doing what she could. She was careful not to over exert herself, to save energy for the trip back, knowing they would need it.

---

Time passed quickly as Kyra moved throughout the survivors, treating them to the best of her ability before moving on to the next. Before long, she was done, moving back to Brutus' side, she looked up at the larger man.

"Done what I can for now...should probably head back...see how many others we can locate...maybe take a tally..."

A sudden thought occurred to her, and she turned suddenly to the man, her eyes looking him over suddenly.

"Hey...I never did catch your name..."

"Oh...it's Dayun...Dayun Grevoil..."

The man seemed almost nervous, somehow. Completely contrary to how he had been not long ago, when he was ensuring that she was well protected, kept alive. Now, he seemed almost like a nervous teenage. Kyra smiled at the man, before thanking him fully.

"Well, Dayun, thank you for everything you did for me today. You kept me safe...made sure that I could keep others alive...so, thank you."

Dayun appeared more flustered with her words, unable to put together a coherent sentence as he seemed to try and argue her words. She turned back to Brutus, her smile suddenly gone.

"Alright...we should get going...see who we can find..."

@Brutus Dahlgren​

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Take all the time you need."

The words left the giant's lips without much emotion or thought into them. As she gathered her breath he would check up on some of the other men, checking them over for wounds and whatnot, assessing who needed priority healing and redistributing any of Gertrude's healing potions from those less in need to those in need.

"Sir..." One of the men would call out, placing a hand on the Giant's arm as he walked by. "You're bleeding..."

"This?" His gaze would wander to his ribs where a pool of crimson was still soaking through his shirt. A quick glance to his UI showed that his HP was ticking down, slowly, but not enough for alarm. "Barely a scratch, not worth wasting resources on."

"What if it gets infected?"
"I'll have Gertrude look at it when we get home."

He would turn a gaze back over the group of young men, each now with scars and stories to tell when they got back home. He would watch as Dayun would stumble over his words, reminding him of a rather painful memory. The flash of silver hair would pass through his mind before he could get the errant thought and bury it deep in his subconscious. He didn't have time to grieve for these men, he didn't have time to grieve for less important matters, he needed to be ready incase another attack came their way.

He needed to work without ceasing.

When the men were ready, he would take point leading the march back down the trail. If they weren't swift, they would likely need to spend some time overnight and the didn't mesh with either of the timetables he had for this series of events. As they walked they would find two more men, their bodies still warm but the life stolen from their veins by a thousand lacerations from cruel and uncaring vines. Brutus would shoulder them, their weight nothing compared the the canon he held slung under one arm.

Three more would be found in a clearing, alive but one was badly wounded. It appeared they'd bunkered down and worked on administering first aid for their comrade who was barely holding on by a thread. Massive chunks of flesh were missing from his arms and legs, and while they'd staunched the bleeding with the shirts off their backs and local medical herbs to encourage coagulation, it would take nothing less of a miracle to save the boy, no older than 15.

"Did-" the child managed to sputter as Brutus knelt down beside him. "Di- we-" The giant would place a finger on his lip hushing him.

"We won, there shouldn't be any danger for the village. Save your strength. You've got a girl to get home to don'tcha?"

The young boy would meekly nod, his skin a deathly shade of white, eyes wide from shock and barely holding onto consciousness.

"Was I a hero?"
"One of the bravest Honeyhome has ever seen." Turning back to the group that he'd let straggle behind he would call out. "Kyra! We need a medic!" before turning back to the boy. "Hold on kid, we've got some magic coming your way."

"I'm-" The boy would sputter.
"Save your breath kid, Kyra's-"
"Sorry."

The boy's lips meekly managed to curl into one last smile before his eyes grew still, and his trembling stopped. The Lion shut his eyes tight, but still the young man's visage plagued him.

He was going to need a drink.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

She'd remained, standing and staring at the two lifeless corpses as everyone else had carried onwards. Everyone, except Dayun. He'd been a wise individual, saying nothing as she'd stood, hollow-eyed and motionless, her eyes locked on the two corpses that she could do nothing for. Was it worth it?

She had no idea how long she stood there - long enough that the main group had left her behind. When she did start moving, she only spoke in a hushed whisper to Dayun, her voice strained with emotions that she couldn't quite correlate quite yet.

"Thank you..."

The call of Brutus reached Kyra's ears suddenly, and although she felt drained, the adrenaline started pumping again. The two of them broke into a run, rushing forward with weapons drawn and an urgency in her step that bordered on dangerous.

As they broke into the clearing, she saw the boy laying on the ground, hovered over by what would likely be his friends, and Brutus. Kyra didn't even register the others fully, pushing Brutus out of the way as she knealt down beside the boy. She felt, more than saw, as Dayun stepped up beside her, gently guiding the other two back out of the way, before standing guard over Kyra's form.

"I give unto thee, the gift of life...may it bring back that which has been lost, that which was given so willingly...may it return, gone what once was, a gift of life...bring forth that which hovers above and return it to the solidity beneath it..."

She felt the emptiness even as she spoke, reciting the words over and over again for what felt like an eternity, but was likely no more than a few moments. Her eyes swam with tears that could no longer be held back.

A hand touched her shoulder, gently. Without looking up, without pausing, she pushed it away, focused on resurrecting the obviously lost boy beneath her. The hand touched her again, guiding her gently away. This time, she didn't resist, the words still fumbling out as she stared at not Brutus, but Dayun. The man's face shared her own agony, and slowly, her words faded away.

"I...I tried...I'm so, so sorry..."

She wasn't sure if it was worth it, all she knew, is that to this one boy everything had been taken. There was no changing that, no returning that. For at least one of them, it hadn't been worth it. It had taken everything they had away, and left them with nothing.

"I'm...sorry..."

@Brutus Dahlgren​