”Two more over there,” Shizun says. She takes her quarterstaff and pokes at one curiously from as far away as she can.
Nothing happens when she pokes one of the skeletons.
”Yeah...we already faced these once...I don’t trust it...” she says as she pushes a wave of energy out to try and obliterate any dark forces animating these poor souls.
Initiative
??? 23
Skelamatons 17.3
Party 16
Shizun channels a wave of positive energy harmful to undead which bursts from her holy symbol to flash over the skeletons. Their bones crackle and burn as they leap to life!
Shizun manages to whack the one next to her as it rises. Her staff skills are less than impressive.
====================================
Another skeleton, this one clad in samurai armor and wielding a wakizashi trundles around the corner, its red eyes burning with hatred. It waves the less well adorned skeletons forward to attack the cursed dragons.
The skeleton next to Shizun swings at her, as two others charge the group's healer.
Three more of the skeletons move to attack Yume.
”I knew it! I totally cal-OW!” she calls out as thenskeletons begin moving and one cuts her. She steps back and sends out another wave of energy.
After metaphorically kicking herself for not doing so earlier, Momo hustles backwards slightly to avoid being an easy target and then takes a few seconds to magically reinforce her defenses.
Yume clenches her jaw, declares, "I'm the one you want, and the last thing you'll ever see!" and swings a heavy blow at the skeleton who appears best positioned to sneak past her.
Yume swings at one of the skeletons next to her, but it manages to parry her strike with a level of skill that indicates intelligence.
Not wanting to get caught in melee again, Kenmei flies out over the water and fires a couple of crossbow bolts at the skeletal samurai. "Skeletal champions, use blunt weapons if you have 'em!"
Both of Kenmei's shots miss.
================================
"You will not leave this place, honorless dog!" the samurai skeleton roars in a voice like crackling autumnal leaves. It speaks tien with an old fashioned vocabulary as it points its fine wakazashi at Yume. The skeletal samurai strides forward past its minions to slash at Yume.
The wall of ancient Minkaian warriors steps forward in skilled formation, curved blades sweeping down in search of cursed dragon flesh.
Two of the skeletal champions cut into Shizun, leaving her barely standing, blood sheeting down her torso.
Fear growing in her eyes, Shizun steps back and turns some healing energies on herself.
Seeing the skeletons converging on her sisters, Momo tries to buy them some time. Her hands quickly make a series of gestures, and the kunoichi casts a slippery jutsu to trip up some of her foes! She then turns to Kenmei and says, "Shoot the ones to the northwest!"
Yume's eyes go wide as she realizes she's been challenged.
"Oh, the honorless one will never leave here alright--but we're here to restore a lost Kaijutsu seal to the rightful heir, and eventually the rightful ruler to the throne. What are you here to do? Serve the Oni?"
As she speaks she swings, but the skeletal samurai is much faster than she expected.
Kenmei moves again and fires two more shots at one of the skeletons, but he misses them both!
Shizun heals herself. Momo's spell is fully effective and both skeletons slip to the floor! Yume misses her swing.
================================
The skeletal leader slashes and claws at Yume, rising to her challenge.
He manages to slash her across the face with his clawed fingers as Yume parries the blow from his wakazashi.
The skeletons move to protect their leader, ganging up on Yume. The two in the grease spell stand up. .
Yume drops as three swords pierce her from three different directions. She is breathing, but the strain she's under has proved too much for now.
Yume manages to raise her shield in time to block the samurai's claw, and to hit one of the skeletons as it stood up, but she can't take the onslaught of stabs, and falls.
Four of the skeletal warriors fall under the wave of holy energy which bursts from Shizun's holy symbol.
Seeing an opening, Kenmei and his afterimages streak across the cavern into position. Then he takes a deep breath and unleashes his lightning breath on to the undead!
The column of lightning blasts the two remaining warriors into bone fragments, and crackles across the samurai's armor. Now the undead ronin stands alone.
Knowing how hard the undead ronin hits, Momo decides to continue using stall tactics. She once more conjures another field of grease to trip up her foe. However, the kunoichi leaves a little space to allow Shizun to heal Yume...
The ronin slips and slides a bit, but maintains his stance, eyes focused on Yume beneath him.
The undead samurai raises its wakazashi and stabs down into Yume!
Yume lies on the floor, eyes closed, bloody, and groaning.
"I've failed my siblings and my duty again."
Kenmei flies over to Yume and says, "Not yet you haven't. Hang in there, sis." He pulls a wobbly bubble of alchemical goo from one of his pouches, and breaks it on to Yume's wounds. The goo sinks in, and begins to knit her back together.
Yume gasps with pain as she returns to consciousness. "I am in your debt, brother."
Her berzerk fury rises again in her as she sees the skeletal ronin standing over her.
She rises to her feat--taking another blow to her arm as she does--and swings again at her foe...but in her weakness the skeleton barely needs to move to parry her katana.
Shizun steps up and puts more healing into her sister.
"Thank you, sister."
Nodding to all her siblings, she adds, "This is what family means.
"Together, we will defeat this undead monstrosity, and restore the lost Kaijutsu seal."
"You attacked us, Oni-spawn! You are no Kaijutsus!" the undead ronin says, hatred burning in its eyes as it rebukes Yume.
Momo rolls her eyes and spams another Grease jutsu, this time targeting the clumsy ronin's sword.
The ronin makes two more attacks on Yume.
She parries his blows without much effort.
Kenmei flies over behind Shizun and fires two more bolts at the ronin.
Emboldened by her renewed vigor, Yume stands strong and attempts to hit the Ronin with her katana.
Shizun continues bolstering the protections on Yume. She works a blessing and her form shivers as divine shielding washes over her.
Instead of spamming her grease jutsu again, Momo switches to another technique. Using her recently purchased bottle of acid as a magical focus, she conjures a small sphere of said stuff at the tips of her fingers and flicks it at the undead ronin. However, the sheer chaos of the fighting makes aiming a tad difficult...
The forsaken Kaijutsu samurai continues to 'defend' its cave by attacking Yume again.
Bolstered by Shizun's magical protections, Yume easily bats the wakazashi blows aside with her own blade.
Kenmei flies over and unleashes another blast of lightning breath.
"Sorry, that didn't do much. Momo, give Yume a flank, why don't you? Distract him for her," the lone brother suggests.
Shizun continues her prayers, calling for a blessing on the siblings.
Yume feels a Blessing flow through her and she steps forward, emboldened...only to slip on some of the grease at her feat, causing her swing to go wild.
"Dammit. You deserve better of me, siblings."
Realizing that they don't have many better options, Momo casts Shield and starts making her way into melee.
The skeletal champion continues to robotically pursue the death of its challenged foe.
Shizun steps to where she can breath flame on this thing and not harm her sisters.
Looking every bit as resolute as the skeletal samurai does, Yume swings again, hoping to get under the skeleton's guard.
Momo prepares herself to dodge any attacks the ronin throws her way and then carefully moves into combat in a way that doesn't leave her open to any stray attacks.
Kenmei fires two more bolts at the resilient skeleton.
Skeleronin strikes again.
Kenmei fires two more bolts, flying past his sisters to maintain the blurred afterimages behind him. One of the bolts manages to shatter bones as it passes through the undead ronin.
Shizun steps up and says ”Would you hurry up and die again already!?!?” as she pushes some positive energy into her hand and tries to overwhelm the undead creatures resistance.
"I will never forsake my du!!!" the skeletal ronin begins, before being struck down by the holy energy of Shizun's spell.
”Well,” Shizun says with panted breaths, ”that was most definitely not our typical day! You okay sis?” she asks Yume before stepping over and checking to see if her healing is needed...