With a vulpine snarl, Mihara swiftly drops her sap and flicks her wrist, releasing one of her daggers from its sheath to complement her drawn short sword.
A strange burst of wind flows over Nigrum, Selena, and one of the undead, flickering the latter's flames; a blink of an eye later, Mihara bursts out of thin air from behind the fiery abomination. The creature, mid-swing at the Succubus, has left its back exposed, and Mihara aims both blades directly at its spine, hoping to incapacitate it as quickly as possible. Feeling the heat emanating from the creature, she opts wisest not to use her bite.
"Fall, abomination!"
However, the unexpected heat causes her to recoil in shock; her attacks fall short.
Nigrum avoids the undead, yet more annoying puppets just of a lesser sort. He draws Tsui and swings at the nearest one.
Aibek jumped back from the first attack, but their speed caught the witchwolf off guard and the full force of the second attack and flames caught Aibek off guard. A loud snarl of anger and pain flew out unguarded from the witchwolf as shadows began to protectively encase around Aibek's mouth as claws raised up to lash out. Pausing a moment to recover and think, Aibek quietly said through gritted teeth Let us put you out of your enslavement and misery...
Wary of putting an even a shadow protected mouth near the undead people, Aibek stepped back a moment, trying to keep an eye on both the enemy and the others in the room...
Selena screams in pain when the undead slashes her. Even if caught off guard by the first attack, the succubus manages to easily dodge the second hit. Not scared of the flames, the succubus tries to grab one of the burning corpses.
Azri hissed in irritation, feeling vaguely guilty that she couldn't command armies of undead with a single wave of her hand. Instead, she threw a hex of Misfortune northeast, aiming to disable that undead's ability to defend itself. A cackle came out of her lips a moment later, prolonging it if it managed to take effect.
One of the figures stumbled for a moment as the Curse slamed home. The same creature was grabbed by Selena, locking it in place.
However, its wasted musculature was no match for Selena's impressive skills and training, and it remained locked in place.
Another was smashed to the ground with a vicious swing of Tsui, crushing the undead creature's skull.
A third was raked to the floor by Aibek's claws.
While the flames around the destroyed creatures winked out, the ones around the remaining two grew stronger. The flesh, what little remained, began to peel from there bones in blackened strips.
The remaining creature, however, paused as...something moved through the door at the far end of the room. A figure in an officer's uniform, engulfed in flames with a twisted expression of burning rage emerged, a scimitar in one hand. Instead of attacking the remaining skeleton saluted.
The far figure roared, "MY SOLDIERS! HE KILLED...MY SOLDIERS! BURN!"
Looking the officer over, he tried to take in details. Seeing what he was dealing with now. Regardless he sent his killing presence at the officer. Be it some new minion or another puppet, it would know he was not unworthy.
"Speak sense or know defeat."
The figure looks confused and out of sorts at Nigrum's words, an expression of confusion replacing rage for a moment. But only for a moment, as the creature's features contorted in burning hatred once more.
"Exemplary hold, Selena. Please allow me to assist you."
With their common foe held in place, Mihara goes for the creature's exposed throat with both blades.
The blades connect right through the undead's neck, leaving it nearly decapitated.
The enemy held by Selena falls, it's spine severed by Mihara's perfectly placed strike.
Azri examined the other undead for just a moment, then cautiously moved forward, ready to stop moving if the one beside her turned violent. More to the point, though, that spirit... "I do not believe it is interested in listening to reason." Azri said, flinging her hex of Misfortune towards the spirit.
"You are the one known as Redemption, I presume?" Mihara asks, turning to face the interloper.
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The feral look dissipates from Ayreth's face when the zombie drops. "Oh my," she says, looking around. Spotting Aibek's grave injuries, Ayreth rushes to her side.
With a concentrated effort, she expends healing energy into the witchwolf. "I hope that helps." And I hope this ends soon. That was more difficult than normal. I'm almost out of juice.
When the newcomer enters, Ayreth wonders, Talking undead?
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Aibek nodded while Ayreth healed. This was taking more out of the witchwolf that had been thought when they had decided to take this on. Aibek gritted pointed teeth, frustrated at how easily this fire was taking its toll on the witchwolf and how often Aibek felt more a burden at the brink of death than help. If only these were cold or electric ...or Aibek had more power. Maybe one of the other witchwolves would have been better...
Aibek tried to shake the negativity away That helps a lot. Thank you Aibek said, faintly smiling down at the mended flesh. Turning head slightly to see the interloper, Aibek watched the strange actions of the undead before quietly thought outloud mostly to themselves "Another enslaved? Is it the controllers soldiers and rank or these people's in life? I guess with barracks there were soldiers here. The controllers appear to be warping these people's pain into rage? Maybe?"
Aibek turned, partially shielding Ayreth, before speaking louder to the interloper both to see how it would respond and to distract it so the others could get closer, "[b]We did not kill your soldiers, they are dead and controlled most likely by he who did? We must find and stop *he* who did this. Who is 'he'? Who killed your soldiers?"
"Oh, it was nothing foxy. You're welcome." Selena smiles as she blows a kiss to Mihara. "Now let's get this over with." with a sprint, the half-succubus charges the flaming captain, trying to pin it to the door.
The commander grunts as the Hex's magic takes effect, and is then grabbed by Serena. Rather than attempting to break free he tries to attack with his free hand, an incoherent roar of rage resounding through the room.
However, he fails to land a blow.
The third undead resumes it's attack, following Azri with a short movement, claws ready.
The undead attacking Azri was doing quite well, all things considered. "A little help here?" she cried out, even as she pressed her hand against her side and channeled negative energy through it to heal herself. If possible, she'd also be stepping away from the other undead...
Mihara follows Selena towards the captain, vaulting across the bunk bed and coming up to the melee. She raises her sword high, waiting for her occasion.
Selena struggles to render the enemy completely helpless: the fire wasn't actually dangerous to her, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation, either. Nonetheless, the Succubus tries to push the undead to the door to give Mihara an opening.
Nigrum swings his sword down on the undead.
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Unable to assist Azri, Ayreth looks around frantically for some way that she can help everyone. With a shrug, she gestures at the fiery enemy and a deluge of water falls on him. Looking around at the others, she says, "What? It can't hurt, right?"
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The last of the undead guards crumples under Nigrum's ferocious blow.
While Mihara's blow leaves a sickening hole in the captain's side, it only seems to make the undead angrier. In his writhing he manages to break free as Serena attempts to lock him down further, lashing out in a fury.
+
The flailing monster manged to land blows on both women.
"Urk!" Mihara recoils in pain as the captain's claw leaves a deep gash and burn mark at her left ribs.
"Ten thousand curses of my ancestors!" She mutters under her breath. "I can't keep going on like this."
She waits for Selena to attack again, feinting a strike at the Captain to assist, and then leaps back, only to remain floating in the air.
Nigrum waits for the right moment to come in and strike the last undead. Bring Tsui down upon it.
Azri continued healing herself, channeling negative energy through her hand and into her body. The others seemed like they had this well in hand for the moment, but she cackled anyway just to be sure.
"Oh, where are you going? Come on, don't leave me alone!" Selena mocks the phantom, catching him shortly after he manages to escape. "You know, you shouldn't be rude to a lady." the half-succubus says trough gritted teeth, twisting the undead's arm to underline her point. Pressing the phantom against the door, Selena tries to leave his neck wide open for Mihara's attack.
Aibek commented to Ayreth I certainly would think water would do more to a fire creature... while watching the fight for an opening to help though felt Selena had it well in hands for the time being...
Quietly speaking to Ayreth while motioning with a shadow enclosed clawed hand across the room. Let's move over there, near Mihara, that last hit she took looked bad and I think I can better get in and support from over there." Glancing the length of the room from Azri at one to Selena and pinned creature with Nigrum at the other to Mihara across , Aibek naturally leaned down and tried to moved quietly across the way. Once across, Aibek paused along the side wall to carefully watch what was going on and to ensure not to get in the way of what the others were planning.
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Ayreth nods, following Aibek's lead and shadowing her. Once they reach the other side of the room, Ayreth steps in front to be within reach of Mihara. "Here goes nothing...," she says as she reaches out.
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Roaring incoherently in rage, the Phantom struggles to break free. However Selena has the creature tightly bound, and it is unable to do more than thrash against the door in fury.
Already feeling much better, Azri continued to cackle at the struggling enemy. Fall, fall! May fortune itself flee you, cursed one, for daring to harm my friends!
...
Like any good lich, there may have been at least a bit of megalomania here.
Nigrum brings down his sword once more, determined to end the threat.
"Thank you!" Mihara smiles, her will to fight burning anew. "Looks like it's time to end this!"
Mihara joins Nigrum's attack, dashing forth at their foe.
"By the divine tails of Daikitsu, begone, specter!"
Between the blows from Nigrum and Mihara the creature collapses in a heap, the flames slowly dying around it as it struggles weakly in Serena's grasp. With a final pitiful groan it slumps forwards, any vestige of the unnatural life it once possessed gone.
Mihara sighs in relief as the foe falls, wincing at the burns and injury she'd suffered during the battle.
"Thank you, Ayreth. I thought I was going to leave the world there and then."
She eyes the (once more) dead bodies, half-expecting them to rise again.
"Do you folk think their leader was that Redemption we've heard so much about, or are we in for some rough encounters still? Kira? Are you still amongst us?"
"I don't think so." Selena says to Mihara, stretching."Little Kira said that this Redemption guy went around with lots of wands, but this guy didn't have any. Best if we check what's in here and then go find him as soon as possible: we can't take another unnecessary battle." the half-succubus says, opening the door on which she immobilized the phantom.
"It never hurts to be sure." Azri said cheerfully, looking around for the nearest firepit. She was feeling much better after healing herself, though she'd been surprised when the phantom had been grappled - she'd been expecting their arms to go right through it.
"I think it should be left to the remaining priests to decide of what should be done with their fallen comrades. It seems unlikely to me that these will rise to cause much trouble again."
"Yes, I'm still here," a voice by the doorway replied. "That wasn't Redemption. He's...more metal. He looks like someone tried to make a suit of armour for some really agile, you know? That was Guard-Captain Kharlen. He is...was, I mean, really sweet. I...saw him get killed, on the first day. His troops were those dead things and...he couldn't bring himself to kill them. They surrounded him in the main courtyard and he just...stopped. I ran away then."
The door opens on to a neatly furnished office with a small bed to one side. Notably the heavy oaken desk has scorch marks on it, and the chair is heavily coated with char.
"We should give this room a cursory search. We may find something helpful." Mihara declares, proceeding to do just that unless someone objects.
(+8 vs traps)
Azri joined Yao in searching through the area...
...though she seemed a bit distracted by the earlier fight and wasn't looking quite as hard as Yao was. "A power that can raise a deity's devoted soldier as an undead monster within the bounds of their own temple... this place didn't feel hallowed when I came in, but still." the lich frowned slightly as she tried to ponder the ramifications of this.