Sandru nods thoughtfully at the heroes' suggestions, while Spivey calls upon her goddess. It takes nearly ten minutes for her to begin speaking, and her eyes remain closed as she relays Desna's answers.
"Unclear.
"Yes.
"No.
"Possible.
"Yes."
Yuto's brow furrows as Spivey shares Desna's cryptic answers "So... supplies we can manage, and allies may be found, but there are... worse threats to the north"
He glances at his companions, worry clear in his eyes "It seems we are not free from danger, whichever path we choose. B-but the supplies and potential allies may tip the scales in favor of the northern route..."
Then waits a bit for other's thoughts or questions. He has nothing more to ask and his mind is almost set.
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Torra stares into the distance, thoughtful. "The allies we have found so far have been an incredible boon. Zayobe, Spivey, Ritti, Atsuko... Perhaps we should go the northern route."
"I've no objection to north."
Atsuko doesn't think she knows enough to make any stronger statements about the situation.
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The caravan's leadership quickly agrees to move out onto the northern pathway. Koya and Spivey lead the caravaners in prayers as they go, and the overall mood is mixed at best. The day passes swiftly, and soon enough it is dark. The night is unnervingly quiet - there are no signs of any moving life.
The next day, the caravan finds a scattering of animal corpses - mostly elk. All of them have gaping wounds, and all are frozen solid. There's no sign that anything's eaten them, and they have simply been left out - albeit not to rot, but simply to lie.
"What the hell?" Ulf looks distinctly shaken. "Something's killing them and not eating them. Why?"
That is the question on everyone's lips - especially since they've been left carelessly strewn about. There's no reason for anyone to have left them like this, frozen and unmoved from the path.
The caravaners look distinctly alarmed, and dark muttering begins to spread across the caravan. Shalelu looks at the frozen elk with a tight frown. "The goblinoids didn't do this." She says. "And I doubt it was the winter wolf and his giant companion, either."
Truth be told, Torra is a little relieved the corpses are animals; the last time they had encountered a frozen, mangled corpse... it had a name and a story and people who knew him. The scene is no less gruesome, however, but Torra steels herself as she approaches the closest elk to look for any indications on what might have done this.
Yuto stands silent, staring at the frozen bodies scattered along their path, an unsettling chill creeping into his mind. His thoughts flash back to their past encounters, the frozen dead and the restless spirits, and to the nightmare of his father's haunted fate. His hand tightens around Suishen, the memory stirring an almost instinctive urge to guard those he holds dear.
His gaze shifts to the rest of the caravan, noting the anxious, fearful expressions of his companions and the murmurs spreading among them "Whatever did this is... no ordinary creature," he murmurs, mostly to himself, before raising his voice to address the caravan.
Turning to Ulf, Yuto lowers his voice "Ha-have you heard of creatures who... strike with such force? Or perhaps something from the old tales of these lands?"
The young man is though shaken and not able to move much or act, his thoughts taken by complete fear to an undead fate.
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Ulf shakes his head after a moment's examination of the corpses. "Nothing I know that can hit that hard would leave the corpses behind without eating them." His expression is tight. "Senseless slaughter... not even a chimera or white dragon would do something like this."
Shalelu looks around the area carefully. "Tracks." She points at a few signs over the road, such as it is.
Ulf nods quickly. "You noticed as well, huh? Guess I should've expected it from an elf." The caravan (and the party) approach to examine the indicated traces. "They look like... huh. They look almost humanoid, but there's some strange protrusions into the earth."
"And look." Shalelu points at the horn of one of the elk. "That's some kind of flesh. Probably also humanoid." It is, naturally, quite frozen.
If that's the case, maybe the heavy attacks that generate frost and seem humanoid come from the nightmarish creatures known as frost wights. Although they're intelligent - as much as the average person - they could freeze the dead solid like this, and would leave any non-humanoid corpses behind. Humanoid corpses would have been raised as spawn, meaning they could've left this behind... but what does that mean?
Yuto grimaces as he studies the eerie tracks in the snow, their strange, unnatural marks clawing at his thoughts "Humanoid, but with such... ferocity?" he mutters, glancing at the elk horn.
He exchanges a glance with Shalelu "I-if these cre-creatures are leaving human-like traces but attacking with this level of brutality... we may be dealing with something twisted... ma-maybe even creatures twisted by dark magic or frost itself..."
The young man kneels down, drawing a quick pattern in the snow with his finger remembering the lessons learned on the books of war inherited from his father "O-our foe knows we're here now. This may be an ambush, but we still have the advantage of numbers" he looks back at the caravan "We can establish a tighter formation. Then hurry up to cross the region as fast as we can."
Turning back to the group, he adds, "Ha-have you heard any legends, even rumors, o-of creatures twisted by ice or driven by senseless rage? Anything about how they can be fought, or how they might be avoided?"
Torra shakes her head wordlessly; this kind of encounter was grimmer than what she usually read in her favourite books. It seems silly now, the fanciful tales she used to like, how the heroes always triumphed and everything was resolved so neatly.
"If they're made of frost, we should probably fight them with fire... Andochtuir, do you have anything? Or, anyone?"
Yuto nods at Torra's wise words and shows Suishen commanding the katana to burst into flames "At least to some degree, for sure..."
"We need to warn the caravan an hurry up" he rushes the party to act.
Atsuko looks upon the scene sadly and grimly. She speaks up to counter Yuto on a point.
"I don't think this is senseless. It's a message of some kind. I don't know from whom, or what it's supposed to communicate, but it's supposed to mean something."
Shalelu nods grimly at Yuto's suggestion, but Koya and Spivey look thoughtful. Still, even after a brief discussion with Atsuko, no one has any further suggestions as to the nature of these creatures.
Suishen answers Torra, somewhat testily. "I am capable of burning your foes and the foes of my liege, guardian."
Losk chuckles. "Aye, and I've got some bombs I can toss against any frosty creature."
Ameiko glances at Atsuko. "A message indeed. A warning, perhaps?" She frowns. "But why animals, and why here? Is this anywhere particularly important?" The heiress asks Ulf.
The guide shrugs. "Not that I'm aware of, no."
Sandru grimaces. "How much of this could be salvaged for food?"
Shalelu and Ulf exchange glances, and Shalelu looks at Torra. "We'd have to examine it. Could take a few hours, and it might risk somehow contracting whatever caused the wounds, if it's somehow supernatural." Shalelu says.
"Get on it, then." Sandru says. "Koya, Spivey, Losk, and Andochtuir are on examining whether the meat harvested will somehow make us sick, and Shalelu, Ulf, Torra, anf Yuto are on butchering. Let's get a move on, people."
He approaches Atsuko and Ritti, a grudging expression on his face. "I'm going to need the both of you - and Riftun, too, when I can catch him - to try to keep up morale. The people are freaked out, and we need them steady."
Yuto rolls up his sleeves and takes a deep breath before kneeling next to Torra and the fallen elk. He casts a wary glance at the icy corpses, trying to shake the image of these creatures as more than mere animals. His hands move steadily, guided by the practice of that learned in the wilderness in recent weeks, but also by the honor of doing things good for his liege.
"Let's hope these bodies don't hold any surprises" he mutters to Torra, tightening his grip on his blade as he carefully begins the butchering work.
Atsuko isn't sure whether Ameiko is really asking her specifically or not, but she does want to make what she meant clearer if she can.
"We're just passing through here. We don't know this place. We don't really see it. But, to those who do live here, there are boundaries and territories. Perhaps there are religious or ideological differences. Maybe even struggles between good and evil. We reduce all of those things to a road, and predators and prey."
Atsuko falters a bit, unsure exactly what to say next.
"What I mean I guess is that this could be a complicated place that we don't understand because what's being said isn't meant for us. From what I understand of them, those who hunt you, hunt us I mean, don't seem like they would leave messages when they would benefit more from surprise. We should be careful and vigilant, but mind our own business whenever we can."
Atsuko follows Sandru when she's called to do so.
"Do you have anything in particular in mind?" she asks him.
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Ritti grits her teeth at Sandru’s request - being inspiring was definitely outside her wheelhouse. But his attitude of late had shown the slim signs of a possible thaw so she was willing to make a fool of herself to maybe earn a little respect. Besides, she was Varisian and knew the importance of a good attitude when the road got rough… So, she tries a bit of everything:
The thief starts with talk and tall tales among the caravanners. ”Yeah, it’s cold and kinda scary but I tell you I’ve made it through worse. This one time I was hired to steal a Frost Giant’s snowballs… let me tell you I grabbed the wrong pair on the first go…”
After that, she starts luring people into exercising with her, trying to make it a game. ”’S colder than a white witch’s teat out here! Keep moving to stay warm. Let’s dance!” She makes a point of dragging anyone who was vaguely friendly with her into a dance, and then anyone interested in them. Once she has a few dancers, she expands it into a game of misdirection – dancing and trying to quickly switch hats with other dancers with only the audience noticing.
Ameiko nods slowly in response to Atsuko's suggestion. "I'm probably just jumping at shadows, thinking the Five Storms have agents hunting us everywhere."
"I don't think anyone can blame you." Shalelu responds with a somewhat grim smile. "Given that we've encountered them in both Brinewall and Kalsgard, at this point."
The Kaijitsu heiress chuckles dryly. "I suppose so. But even if it's not intended for us, I think we can all agree that it's best to be careful."
"Aye." Lone-Pillar speaks up for the first time since the arrival at the corpses. "There's enough danger outside of the Five Storms that we ought to be even more careful than usual." He looks to Ulf for confirmation, and receives it in the form of a nod.
Sandru scratches his beard at Atsuko's question. "Anything you can think of. Give them some uplifting stories if you know any, especially if it's in the face of trying times like these. Take their minds off the stresses of life, that sort of thing."
Ritti makes the rounds, and many caravaners with whom she speaks perk up slightly, growing more animated and even laughing a bit as she entertains them.
Atsuko teams up with Ritti a bit, playing "straight man" to her tall tales to add a bit of comedy to them.
She does her best later on with tales of her own, but by now she's used most of the lighter toned tales she knows at least once. The fact of the matter is that Ulfen folklore tends to be fairly dark.
If the animals were frozen upon death - and with the general frosty climate here - Torra thinks that the meat could be salvageable, unless whatever or whoever killed them tainted it with disease or corruption. She begins by examining the carcasses with her eyes, noting the colour of skin, exposed flesh and so on, then with her nose. It is hard to smell anything when it is so cold, but she tries anyway.
The butchers successfully manage to harvest a reasonably significant amount of food from the frozen elk, while Ritti and Atsuko keep spirits up among the caravaners. Koya, Riftun, and Spivey all help the latter with their morale-raising efforts.
Ultimately, the caravan is ready to set off after about three hours of hard work on everyone's part. They head northwards, heading into the Gaarjuk Hills. The terrain grows yet more rugged, and the caravan slows more often than it has in the past few days - since the blizzard, really.
However, eventually they settle down for the night, setting up watches and preparing to sleep. The night passes without much incident.
The following morning is depressingly dark, with grey clouds hanging threateningly overhead. Some of the caravaners' good cheer from the prior evening remains, but it is with some solemnity that they resume the journey.
After several hours' travel, Riftun jumps, and moves towards Sandru. The party, fortuitously close to him, hears him speak. "Zaiobe says she sees something weird up ahead."
Sandru signals a halt with a sharp whistle, then looks at the young man. "And?"
"I think she sees bison, but they're badly battered and look a lot like the elk from yesterday."
"What's the problem with that?" Ameiko arrives, looking at Riftun curiously.
"Well, they're moving around."
"Undead." Sandru says grimly.
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Ritti is both curious... and appalled. "Wait. Can they do that? Turning animals into like zombies and such?"
She considers the problem. They couldn't stop the caravan. Trying to figure a safe path around the 'herd' might be just as dangerous. She looks to Sandru, "Sooo, it seems like someone is gonna need to sneak over there to take a peek right? Figure out if these are wounded animals or 'zom-bison' or whatever."
Yuto takes a breath, steadying himself after hearing Riftun's news. The thought of undead animals unsettles him. Turning toward Sandru and the others, he speaks with resolve "This is unnatural and must be stopped. I'll take a closer look, carefully. If they're undead, we'll need to find a way to avoid them or prepare to put them to rest"
Yuto turns to Torra "Torra San, your keen senses could help in this. I could use a second pair of eyes to confirm what we're dealing with. But only if you're willing"
With that, he moves to the front of the group, keeping his katana close but sheathed. He bows his head in a silent prayer to Desna for guidance, his focus set on finding the truth of what lies ahead.
Sandru nods briefly at Ritti. "Go on and take a look, then." Surprisingly, he doesn't sound grudging this time.
Koya stops the heroes before they head out, casting a brief blessing on each of them.
Ritti is so surprised by Sandru’s lack of resistance, it throws her off her game a bit as she sneaks along.
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Atsuko answers Ritti's question, and she's fairly sure she's right.
"Yes, animals can be made undead. All living things are vessels for energy. The living, as we typically think of them, are animated by positive energy. In shorthand, that is what a soul is. So, animals have souls. Undeath is the replacement or corruption of positive energy in a body by negative energy."
"There are some differences between the embodied and disembodied undead. For example, zombies are usually created by placing negative energy in a material body that no longer holds positive energy. A wraith is created by the direct corruption of positive energy into negative energy, which can exist without a material body."
Atsuko doesn't typically scout, but the current circumstances are troubling to her and maybe she can help. If she can get a good look at the undead bison, maybe, just maybe, there could be some clue about what is causing them.
"What I wonder is why the elk we found remained dead, while these bison apparently didn't. Is there a difference in the intent of the maker? Are there actually two different actors involved?"
Atsuko only wants to be able to get a good look, and doesn't plan to get any closer than needed for that.
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Torra readily agrees to Yuto's request - the idea of undead animals was in equal parts intriguing and horrifying. The dwarf is checking the lacing of their boots in preparation when Atsuko's words bring them up short.
"Wait, animals have souls? Is it... is it bad to eat them, then?"
They look around at the desolate landscape, where most certainly no vegetables are growing, especially at this time of year. "Now is not the time to become vegetarian, though..." they muse quietly under their breath.
Moving together with the others when they begin to approach this undead bison heard, Torra does their best to stay quiet.
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However, something about the frozen undead clicks in her mind, as she vaguely recalls tell of a demon lord (or a unique demon weaker still) that reigns over the frozen dead. Much less famous than Kostichie, another demon lord related to cold, this... what was his name...?
Ah, that was it - Sithhud. Sithhud was a demon that oversaw those dead by exposure to cold. This sounds pretty similar to the frozen undead... but it's a fair reach. Maybe it's just a crazed necromancer. It's not like there's an excessive proliferation of dead that aren't frozen this far north.
Shalelu advances alongside the heroes, but Andochtuir holds further back, citing his own heavy armor and lack of stealth training as good reasons to avoid approaching any closer than he has to.
As the party approaches, the heroes see five large bison, each encased in ice, with deep wounds and bare bones exposed beneath the frigid armor. Whatever Zaiobe thought she saw, these things don't look much like the deceased elk of yesterday.
However, it seems unlikely that such a number of bison would have reanimated in such a way all together. That leaves the more likely probability that they were animated by some necromancer. The best known animators of such creatures are the ice witches of Irrisen, but that seems unlikely in the Crown of the World...
Frostfallen creatures generate a constant field of cold around them, which flashfreezes the moisture in the air to form the armor that the heroes can see on the bison ahead of them, and can move with the same speed as they had in life. Indeed, they are mightier than they were in life. Furthermore, frostfallen undead can sense the vital heat of living beings within roughly sixty feet of themselves. All of their attacks drain the heat from any unfortunate soul that is struck by them, leaving the corpse frozen solid.
Fortunately, they are not without weaknesses - as might be expected, they are highly vulnerable to fire and heat, which saps away at the unholy cold that helps to animate them.
The ice-covered bison don't seem to be aware of the party, but they are moving gradually closer, almost... hunting.
Yuto's breath forms a mist in the frigid air as he leans slightly toward Torra and Ritti, his voice a barely audible whisper "These aren't just undead—they're hunters. Their movement... it's deliberate"
Glancing at Atsuko, and after consulting with Helgarval, he adds, "This corruption is unnatural, but it's not aimless. If these creatures are hunting, then someone or something has set them on this path"
With some hesitation he adds "M-maybe w-we should fall back to discuss. We don't want to put the caravan at risk by alarming this creatures or ca-causing an stampede..."
That said, he puts his hand over his blade, ready to fight if the hunting undeads come too close.
"They're headed towards the caravan." Shalelu points out. "If we are going to fight them, I'd prefer we do it somewhere where the noncombatants aren't going to be threatened.
Ritti regards the terrain and Shalelu’s words. ”Better to fight’em here then. But this snow is slowing most of you down. I’ve got a likely stupid idea. Melee fighters hide behind trees, snow mounds, whatever. Archers fall back a bit. When you’re ready, I’ll pop up and see if I can get them to chase me this way. With luck, they’ll charge right into your blades. Then we hit’em from all sides.”
"Do you think you can run faster than them, Ritti? It's a big risk..." Torra seems uncertain about Ritti's idea, but nods at Shalelu's assessment that they need to fight the creatures here and now in order to protect the caravan.
Ritti ticks off points on her fingers. "I'm not slowed down by this snow, I'm pretty quick , and I've got a head start. They'll run into the ambush before they get to me... 'less they can fly or fire lightning out of their eyes. An' I don't see we have a lot of options. Better they charge after one of us than all of us."
"I... I don't know Ritti San... I don't want to leave you alone facing this danger... What if they just g-go over you..." Yuto hesitates, not sure on how to proceed but "A-and there is not much place to hide here. I-I am staying by you"
With little time to react, Yuto moves to the closest rock and takes cover behind "Do-do your thing, but I-I do not go away m-more than this. Let's take cover behind the r-rocks so they cannot surround us..."
While the group prepares, Yuto requests Suishen to have air walk in order to move easily over the snow, and if there is enough time for it protection from cold.
The thief knew the samurai meant well but… the calculated risk was worth it. It could give them the first strike, close the distance without slogging through the snow, and maybe prevent a general trampling. At least, she heard regular bovines did that so she was assuming these undead ones would too.
”Life’s got no guarantees. Besides, I’m not alone. You all are nearby. I’m just leading those zombison to you. Besides, what’s the other option? We wait til they see all of us and attack?”
"If you think you can handle that much, Ritti..." Shalelu looks at the Varisian woman carefully, then nods. "I'll fall back."
As Ritti approaches the bison, they all immediately snap to attention, turning eyes like hungry cold upon her, and then charge!
Atsuko had only wanted a look to see if she could figure out anything about origin of the bison. But, here they are in a fight with them now, no point in complaining since there's no going back.
She positions herself by a bit of cover and waits for Ritti. When it's clear they have noticed her and there is no reason to delay further, Atsuko starts a song. It's a rather long and humorous children's song, naming almost every animal known in the Linnorm Kingdoms and attributing ridiculous and outlandish habits, abilities, or personalities to each of them. The song is so long it is rarely ever finished, but that's no the point of it. The song is a way of passing time, giving kids something to amuse themselves with when they are bored.
It seems a decent choice for the present to Atsuko. There are quite a few bison, so this will probably take a while. They aren't that far away, already within bowshot, so the herd will be upon them soon and it will get ugly. If they're going to die, they might as well be listening to something that could elicit a laugh or two before it happens.
Yuto ducks behind the stone as the bisons charge. His hand firmly grasping Suishen. Resolved, he waits for them to be close enough to step in the air and try strike the first one.
Ritti was ready to do some terrible pantomime showing her surprise at seeing the bison and then fleeing ineptly to draw them in… but none of that seems necessary when they charge her without hesitation.
She minces back and forth a moment hoping to ‘sell it’ before fleeing the beasts. Then she turns, ready to attack.
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1):
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
Torra steps next to Atsuko, chuckling at the silly song despite the terrible danger they were all in. The dwarf takes aim at the bison farthest on the right, in case it decided to run where Shalelu was hiding.
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Ritti dances back from the undead bison, trying to lure them forwards and into the ambush that they've planned.
Atsuko, now freed to sing, does just that, uplifting her companions' spirits and bodies alike, while Yuto holds back, Suishen granting him the ability to walk on the air in preparation for the oncoming undead.
"If you can get them into a line, Yuto, I can burn them with a burst of flame." Helgarval says to its wearer.
Torra unleashes a burst of powerful earth at her target, but the chunks of ice clinging to the bison's hide deflects the impact entirely.
Shalelu, meanwhile, chants a spell that hums into her.
The bison, now realizing there are living creatures present, move almost as one. The first explodes into a thunderous charge at Ritti, but Yuto is prepared, stepping upwards and slashing down with Suishen's burning blade. The blade rips through the creature's icy armor, burning its flesh and ripping through its dead sinew and bone. However, it does not stop, giving the samurai the chance to slash it again. Once more, he tears a vast gash in its side, sending it stumbling slightly, but the momentum is too great for it to stop.
Ritti is prepared as it comes hurtling towards her, and lashes out with a powerful blow. Powerful indeed, as it cracks the icy armor and shatters unliving bone. Instantly, the woman feels her very bones grow chill as the icy aura around the undead bison drains away her life-heat. Furthermore, despite her powerful blow, it doesn't destroy the beast, which promptly slams into her with its horns. The sheer impact sends her staggering back, and the horn tears into her side. Shockingly, the pain is minimal, as the icy aura drains away all feeling but the terrible numbness.
The rest of the bison come thundering after it, and though they don't get close to any of the heroes, they are coming alarmingly fast.
Staggered by the blow and coughing up something coppery, Ritti notes a lot of her blood freezing on the horns of the beast. Things had gotten bad in a hurry. She rolls with the blow, adopting a weaving stance as she skirts to the side of the beast, hoping to use its bulk as cover against its pals coming for her. With her fist practically a frozen lump, she pulls butterfly sword from its magic sheath with her other hand, imbuing it with an unnatural keenness it didn’t normally possess. In a desperate gamble to end the threat right in her face, she drives the blade into the monster’s neck.
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1): x
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Scabbard—Butterfly Sword is +2 for 1 of 5 rnds
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
"Y-you can do so Helgarval?" Yuto blinks surprised by the helm as the bison attack. He tries to position himself looking at them over the rock to give Helgarval a shot line.
Slicing quick at the one charging on Ritti, he quickly decides to step back in the air, over the heads of the heard, and protect the young girl by finishing off the badly wounded bison.
Frantic as the undead bison approach with frightening speed, Torra tries to bring down the one that in a moment would trample Atsuko if the woman didn't move.
"Run, Atsuko!"
Trusting in her own resilience, the dwarf plants her feet and stands her ground as she rips a chunk of stone from the outcrop she's sheltering behind and hurls it at the creature.
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Ritti draws her sword, wrapping it in the magic of its sheath, and unleashes a devastating strike at the bison before her. Her sword breaks the armor, but the cutting edge seems less than useful than she'd have hoped . It does, however, preserve her hands from the all-consuming cold that surrounds the undead creature. Though the blow nearly fells it, the ice surrounding it holds the beast together.
Atsuko fires her longbow at the closest bison, but the projectile deflects off of its frozen armor. She bites back a curse, stepping away from the bison, but doesn't retreat far.
"Yes." Helgarval responds as Yuto steps swiftly towards Ritti, striking down with Suishen. His first blows deflect off of the nearly-destroyed bison's icy armor, though Suishen's fires seem to melt some of it. Targeting the newly-fragile armor, the samurai cleaves through its spine and knocks it to the ground, vile energies no longer animating it.
Torra hurls a burst of stone at the undead behemoth closest to her, but like Atsuko, her attack shatters against its hoarfrost-hardened hide.
Shalelu adds her own arrows at the further target , which tear through the air with a tremendous crack. The first arrow splinters off of the bison, but the second slams hard into its eye socket, cracking the skull. Unfortunately, the damage seems mostly cosmetic.
One bison charges at Yuto, apparently oblivious to the burning blade in his hands. Fortunately, as its pounding hooves approach, the young man is able to deflect the oncoming horns, locking them with Suishen and whirling around, tossing them to the side.
The arrow-pierced bison rumbles forwards, stumbling over the stone in its path, but it manages to close with the samurai nonetheless, and rears up to gore him with its powerful, icy horns. This time, Yuto dodges out of the way, though he feels the heat drain from him as the horns pass him by.
Another undead bison thunders forwards, passing by its counterpart and lowering its head as it attempts to pierce Ritti with its horns. The monk nimbly dodges out of the way, avoiding the oncoming powerful blows.
The last of the bison simply rushes forwards, clearly intent on stomping Torra into the ground. The dwarf throws herself out of the way, evading the worst of the heavy hooves. However, she does get caught slightly, and her hardened skin is all that saves her from more than a severe bruising.
"Oh no! Torra San!" Yuto screams as the bison tramples over the dwarf. He quickly moves the katana in an arc trying to finish the red bison before it can join the other one on its attacks.
If red fells, he slices over black, then steps back in the air to avoid getting flanked and to get closer to Torra.