@Lugia Before Robet even finished his shout, several people atop the wall turned their attention to whatever it was they were doing to the Nu Muo. As they saw the mage loose a spell, their eyes followed his indication to the crest of the hill.



"Undead in the field!" A second voice confirmed, ringing out a distance away from the mage's position. All at once, several: bows, Rod, Staves, and flintlock pistols came to bear. Out the corner of his eyes, the Mage would be able to see the summoner from earlier, his cloak billowing wildly behind him in his stride.

"How many?" The human spoke plainly to a Bangaa nearby.

"Just the one sir!" The scaled man replied, his hand tightly gripping a knocked arrow on his bow.

"There's never just one... Round up the vanguard! I want a wall in front of the gate. And get Vernire out here!" The one known as Summoner yelled out to someone unseen, turning his attention to Robert as he produced a staff from beneath his attire, "Good eyes, mage. Stay focused, and we'll get out of this yes




@EvanistHaving taken up the task to assist with the wounded of the stables, Erion makes his way to the market. Though unfamiliar with the way trading has changed since the assault of the Beast, Erion attempts to haggle down the prices of some potions he finds in market-



but the shopkeep remains steadfast.

"I sell these goods for what their worth... If another shop keep can afford to sell them cheaper, I suggest you try them. Potions are a precious commodity since the attacks, and I can't part with them for less." At this point, the shop keep begins shouting out towards the nearby road, attempting to draw more trafic as he disregards the moogle. Still wanting to help the beasts in the stables, Erion manages to buy the two potions requested to fulfill his task. As he returns to the stables, Ryan is sprinting back and forth, assisting a sudden influx of people man and mount their beasts as they begin mobilizing.

"There you are!" Ryan remarks, spotting the moogle as he strides over. With no questions asked, he takes the potions and motions for the moogle to follow, "They've spotted enemies outside the gates! Get out there!" It wouldn't take long for them to reach a particular stall, Erion's bird Boco trilling from excitement inside as it noticed it's rider.





@Eklispe"What a pity. Well, the offer st-" Before the elderly man could reply, the call from the wall rang out, causing everyone around to instantly snap their heads to the wall. As the unarmed civilians began to muster their way away from the walls, the guards of the city and the newly arrived Shepards, began to funnel outside of the gate they just recently entered. As Arus began to round his own mount towards the entrance, Holliander pulled up beside him, their steeds galloping onwards.

All at once, the attitude of the elderly man changed, his eyes focused on what was before him- failing to even acknowledge the one of who he just spoke to so pleasantly. As they exited the city, Holliander would pull back his steed. As Arus began charging towards the hill, he couldn't help but see the other warriors forming a defensive line before the gate. The familiar voice of the old man would ring out a distance behind the myrmidon, "Don't over extend!"




@CyraniaAs the Taguel began rushing to the developing scene, she couldn't help but see the myrmidon from earlier speeding off towards the hill they had traveled over earlier- though the rest of the warriors and calvary had formed a defensive line before the city. As the forefront, she would see a well armored man atop a feathered beast -that seemed to be all around- curing before turning to the men behind him.

"Infantry! Spears, pikes, and lances to the front! I want everyone else to form ranks behind the spearwall and assist when the enemy collapses! Mounted units to the flanks!" The man pulled back on the reins of his beast as it squawked loudly, seeming to be anxious at the conspiring events.

"But there's only one, sir!" An unknown voice called out from the crowed mass.

"Have you ever known them to be alone?" All at once, the idle murmuring began, "Look, new-comers. You are not mine to command, but they will take your lives as quickly as they'll take my men's. Even if you fight for yourself, you'll be doing us a favor, but don't forsake your fellow man."

"I don't think that will be a problem," A distinctly familiar voice called out behind the Taguel. Should she look behind her, the familiar figure of Grand Strategist Robin could be seen upon his horse, pulling to a halt just short of the assembling legion, "Follow his orders for now. I'll issue commands should we need to adapt a new defense." And with that, the chatter would be silenced, the warrior from Ylisse falling into position alongside those from Ivalice. An eerie silence fell over the field; the thrill and horror of battle slowly settling over the crowd.





@Crimson RavenAs the armored man rushed his assailant, he could hear the girl scream as another arrow landed not far from her. Though she had prepared herself to argue, she merely shouted "Ok" before sprint off over the hill. Suddenly, her voice could be heard shouting, "Undead! Undead over the hill! Help us!"

Though the thought of who she might be yelling for crossed his mind, the warrior stepped forward to begin his strikes- the subtle sound of hoof beats barely audible over the mass of marching foots prints thudding loudly behind him from the encroaching horde.



As the singular Risen falls down, a well armored man stands above the fallen corpse with his blades drawn. Though a slight ease settles over the company, it is quickly dissolved as a horde of Risen crests the hilltop, closely following the newly apparent man and the shouting woman.

Arua struggled for a moment mentally; true over-extending would be foolish but so would leaving the two people out there to die. No one else was as close as him due to his quick response. His horse should be able to run for long enough with three people mounted, but he would have to get them all on quick enough. Bah, to many variables Arus thought angrily. He reluctantly began trotting back to the wall forming, all the while keeping on eye on the risen chasing the two strangers. If the Risen looked like they were going to catch them, then he would help them regardless. If them managed to outrun them he would wait on the flanks to help crush the risen scum, true he might not be horseback fighter but he could fight on horseback and he had no intention of hiding behind the shields of others, not this time. He drew his sword and watched carefully.

"But what about the man and women?", Jo-Anne shouted out. With the Risen swarm that was now visible, she knew the two couldn't survive long on their own, especially with the woman clearly unarmed. Someone was going to have to get them out. The myrmidon from earlier had come back, and the rest weren't even trying. That left it up to her. Therefore the Taguel activated her beaststone, to the astonishment of her new friends, and galloped toward the duo on the hill."Get on, both of you," she called out to them.

"Are you sure you can carry both of us?" said the woman.

"Only one sure way to find out,"Jo-Anne replied

Gabranth choose not to be picked up
Now this was a pickle. The woman would definitely need to get to safety,but the man couldn't survive completely unaided. Though if the Risen could be stalled until the woman was safe..."You better go on ahead,"Jo-Anne finally said, "I'll stay with him until you get to safety." Then as the woman ran off, the Taguel stood by the man and attacked the closest Risen.

---

Jo-Anne: 10 SPD=5 actions
Activated Beaststone(free action, used 1 use out of 50, 49 left)
Ran 22 spaces(2 actions)
Moved beside Gabranth (1 action)
Attacked Risen up to 2 times (2 actions)

@Cyrania Gabranth was surprised at the strange person's transformation, but not shocked. Ivalice was a strange place, and he knew he has seen stranger things, though he couldn't remember where. "Nay," He said to the woman and the oversized bunny rabbit. "You would never be able to take me in my armor. Grab the woman, and get her to safety. Once there, have any with long range people lay down fire behind me to delay these things. Then grab two horses, and come back for me." Although it might be too late by then...if they have any flyers there would be a chance... He thought realistically. It doesn't matter if I die, as long as everyone else is safe.

Erion sighed, having failed to go and get more then 2 potions for the group. If only he could have gotten luckier there. That just sucked. He then ran to the pen where Boco was.
"Guess were are going for another fight Boco! Kupo!" he then says, before opening the gate and getting on him. He then goes towards the walls quickly, his spear at hand, going to the front gate.
"Alright... I am here! What is the situation!?" he asks.
"A risen was seen on the hill side!" He then hears from one of the soldiers. He looked around a bit.
"Open the gates. I think I can see what is on the other side and scout out, as well as help anyone out there!" he then says. The mans looked at each other before they opened the gate to let Erion go at it. He then rushed with Boco, moving quickly forwards. If any people needed healing, he would use choco heal on them. If any risen were to get in his way, he would strike them. He then noticed a small group of figures at a distance. They didn't seem like risen that. He then started to rush forwards towards them quick Boco, slowly slowing down soon enough.
"Waho... easy Boco... What the heck you guys doings in the front line like that. You guys need to move back towards the walls. There are already people coming to help! If one of you need a lift, just get on! Kupo!" he then says. He then looked at the swarm that was there. This was bad. He then saw one coming towards them. He then attempted to strike down the risen with his choco beak attack if the group was not going to retreat. He knew they needed to move back if they were getting swarmed too much.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Erion speed: 13 = 6 actions

Move to the gates with his steed (1 action)

Rush towards where Gabranth and Jo-Anne are (2 actions)

Stand guard and help, as well as offer a lift (possibly choco cure). (1 action)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If no retreat:

Attack risen, using chocobo peak 2 times (2 actions)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If Retreat

Move backwards with people towards the walls. (2 actions)

I keep an eye out for any more of those zombies, and I notice Erion out there, trying to save a few individuals. Sure, I had a nice post here, far from danger and I had a good view of the fight, however, I knew as well as anyone that there would be more coming. These zombies are never alone, and if a single one knew magic, it would be the end of Erion. I figured out how far away he was from the entrance, as well as how far I had to walk to get there, and unfortunately, it was just too far for me to get to him right now. He almost looked as though he was trying to decide whether to fight or retreat, and looking back at the hill, I could see why. I aimed as many spells as I could at any zombie that looked like it might have some sort of magic, or, failing that, whichever one looked the strongest. "They're coming," I comment to the nearest ranged attacker, in this case, an archer, who probably already knew, given that he already had an arrow ready to shoot. I then wondered when the bangaa started using arrows, and then wondered why everyone was bound to whatever role their race filled. I then thought that it was pretty neat that he wanted to be an archer, and they actually taught him... or he was self-taught, either way, it meant that we could break out of these roles, break out of these stereotypes. If he wanted to learn magic, then that was fine by me, but he'd have to find someone else to teach him... as I am not a very good mage, nor am I a good teacher.

---

SPD: 10
I fire as many fire spells as I can (5 actions): 5 SKL, 17 MAG

@Evanist@Crimson Raven@Cyrania

As they heavily armored man and woman sprinted away from the oncoming horde, the Taguel approached -having transitioned into her bestial form- and offered to carry the man and the woman to safety. As the man declined the notion, Jo-Anne turned and attacked the nearest Risen-



felling the creature as it groans from the assault. However, due to her attempt to save the wayward people, she draws the attention of a few nearby Risen.



Their mindless assault misses the nimble creature. As the escape continues, Erion bolts forward on his chocobo assaulting the Risen that had assailed Jo-Anne-



His strike hits it's target, though the creature merely lifts his axe to swipe at the moogle- missing as his blade swings high and over the creatures head. As the horde now begins to converge upon the Boco and his rider-



though they escape the assault with only minor damage.

As Gabranth and the woman continue their sprint towards towards town, the woman continues to shout for aid.

@Eklispe

As the events of the battle begins to unfold, Holliander curses loudly as the taguel and the chocobo rider speed off, "Those damned fools! They'll be dead before the creatures even hit the city!" Turning his attention back to the troops, he'd lift up his sword, "We cannot use the Summoner now. Get ready for the charge!" All around the Myrmidon, a sudden unease grew.

"No summoner... What are we going to do!," a soldier called out from behind Arus.

"Why not just fire upon the fools?! No point in saving them if they have a deathwish!" shouted another.

"Enough!" Holliander spoke, a sudden bright flash of light erupting from what seemed to be a common sword. All at once, the masses fell silent. It's now apparent to Arus just how respected the 'Sword Saint' was, his commanding voice seeming to echo over the sounds of combat in the distance, "It we shared that mentaility, half of you would be joining the ranks of the undead by now! It is with the light of God that we now strike at the monsters that threaten our world and those who would assault our home!"

Rounding his chocobo towards the horde once more, the man would thrust out his sword as his voice bellowed out, "Charge!" before sprinting off. All at once, the soldiers around Arus shouted at the top of their lungs, beginning to rush forward onto the battlefield.



@Lugia

Seeing his traveling companion in danger, Robert began firing of spells into the distant horde-



Felling the one assaulting the odd rabbit woman, and injuring the one assaulting Erion. All around him, he can hear the sounds of bows being loosed and spells firing off, however the summoner merely stands there, eyeing over the battle as the forces before the city gates charge out the meet the horde, "I don't like this..." his says loud enough for Robert to hear, idly thumbing over his tome, "I don't like this at all."

The yelling and thundering of charging men filled the air behind Jo-Anne and made her glad that at least the two were going to be safe. It was a different story though for her and her new companion, a moogle riding one of those funny bird things. They were both surrounded, back to back of each other. Now it was too late to do anything but fight.

---

Jo-Anne: 10 SPD = 5 actions
Attack Risen C until dead (As many actions as it takes)
(If any actions remain) Attack Risen D

Arus growled, the very thought of sacrificing allies to deal with enemies made his blood boil, with whatever these "Summoners" were. He spurred his horse forward leaping off it as he closed the distance and slashing at one of the monsters on his way down. As he landed he began lashing out at all nearby enemies his blade transforming into a sliver of light that lashed out at those near nearby. "Die monsters!" he cried out as he began his assault.

---

(Relevant Stats, ATK 19, DEF 3, Skill 15, 17 SPD(8 actions))
Move within range of Risen.(1)
Use as many actions as possible attacking nearby Risen.(Attacking method: Focus one then acquire new target. Seven attacks)

Somehow most of my fire spells hit the zombie that wasn't attacking Erion, leaving him open to attack. The summoner had a look of dread, and the zombie horde only grew in size. I couldn't say anything for a while, as I was torn on whether or not to leave my post, and join the rest of them. I'd be closer to the enemy, sure, but that would mean that my attacks won't have any pesky chance of missing. The fact that all of my attacks hit from here was, considering my poor accuracy at long ranges, quite frankly a miracle. "Sir?" I ask the summoner, who doesn't seem as though he's paying attention to me, and rightly so, as he appears to be searching for some sort of answer in his book. "I... hope you won't hold a grudge against me if I joined the soldiers. My friend is defenseless against magic without me, and my aim really isn't as good as it should be. I'm amazed that my attacks actually hit, earlier... look, I just feel like I'd be more of a help if I was near the front lines... but, I am a subordinate of yours, so that's why I'm asking... just remember, I got here without a wall," as I let him think about that, as well, I continue casting magic into the horde of zombies, particularly the one that I've already damaged. Of course, if it looked as though the zombie was going to fall before my spells could reach, I'd try to hit another target, this time I would focus on any heavily armored zombies, again, only if Erion, or anyone else kills the zombie before I had a chance to... these zombies were particularly strange, as the undead I was used to before this never knew magic, held weapons, or wore armor... of course, I suppose, the only true constant is change.

---

SPD: 10 (5 actions)
Ask permission to leave the wall (1 action) 11 LCK
Fire spells into Risen H, choosing a new target if this kills Risen H (4 actions) 5 SKL, 17 MAG

Gabranth stopped running and turned back. He heaved a mental sigh at the foolishness of the fighters. There are too many to handle. But since they are fighting, so will I! He thought. He took a moment to sling a cure spell at the most wounded ally and then another at the one of the undead surrounding the Moogle and the...bunny thing. He followed the cure spell with an attack and manage to get in the circle of Risen to stand next to the beleaguered pair. "I will lend my swords." He said shortly, before wading back into combat.

---

Speed stat: 8 | No. turns: 4
Gabranth casts cure on most wounded ally
Gabranth casts cure on Risen E
Gabranth Attacks Risen E
Gabranth moves next to allies.

Erion, seeing how the Risen's were all gathering over,starting placing himself, this time having a idea. He placed himself between his allies and the nearest risen, before using choco heal all around him 2 times, effectively going to heal the damage he had received and hurt the Risen's that would be all around him. He then started to attack the others with his lance, trying to focus on the most damaged ones before switching and using choco beak, trying to finish the most zombies that he could with this. He just hope that it would be enough for the group to be able to back away a bit from these things and possibly get some support from the walls.
____________________________________________

SKL: 5, SPD: 13, STR: 12, MAG: 9

Erion cast choco cure 2 times around the risen and himself. (2 actions)
Erion Attack weakest Risen 2 times with spear. (2 actions)
Erion attack weakest Risen currently with choco beak 2 times. (2 actions)

@Evanist@Crimson Raven@Cyrania

As the undead hordes began to swarm about the Taguel and the Moogle, the armored warrior from before rounded to the wayward duo as he rushed into the fray-



felling the spell slinging Risen as he cleaves his way through to those who had made an attempt to aid them. As he attempts to fight his way into the masses, a few Risen turn on him-


though their attempts cannot seem to land a solid hit on the man. As he approaches the Moogle, his steed flaps it's wings as a soft and subtle glow settles about the trio-



and seems to have an adverse effect on the undead, the moggle driving his spear through the chest of one as it topples under his assault. As Jo-Anne feels the comforting sensation of the spell (though feeling no physical effect) she charges at one of the Risen that had assaulted her-


tearing into the creature as it bellows out before collapsing on the ground. As she tears into a nearby creature, it rasied it's blade to swipe back at her, but failing to connect it's strike. Suddenly, the trio has a chill sent up their spine. Though they have succeeded to stave off the assault at this one, an ominous feeling is suddenly cast over the battle field as the eyes of the Risen begin to glow a sinister red.

@Eklispe

As the town's militia slams into the flank of the horde (who had now surrounded the three inside) Arus begins to cleave through the nearest creature-



his fury seeing three fall before his blade as he helps drive the militia into the enemies exposed flank. This attack does not go unnoticed as some begin to diver their attentions to the myrmidon-



landing heavy blows against the warrior in their mindless rage. As the yells of the guards mix with the gutural bellowing and screeches of the undead, a familiar voice rings out. Arus can see the elderly knight charging into the horde- swiping his blade as group of Risen are assailed by blades that seemed to fall from the heavens. But it was then, that Arus noticed the eyes of the Risen begining to change... Something was amiss.



@Lugia


Robert fires off a few bolts of Fire from his Rod-



seeing one fall to his assault and another take significant damage. The Lord Summoner, who at this point has been flipping through his tome, merely glances over to the Black Mage before speaking, "Aye! They are very odd. Which is why we usually let them approach and let our ranged pick them off before our warriors enter the fray. But since their all jubled together like that-" He says, turning back over the pages, "I'm looking for my teleportation spell. Perhaps I can move some of us closer to the fray!"

An ominous silence falls over the battlefield, the Risen now seeming to stand in place as their eyes glow an ominous red. Though they still held weapons in their hands, they seemed to be frozen in whatever action they were apart of before the odd occurance. It's then an ominous shriek would resound over the battlefield, causing all the undead to bellow at the top of their fetid lungs. They continue their assault with renewed vigor and rage as their strength seems to have been bolstered. Behind Robert, a well dressed figure would ascend the stairs, he too carrying a tome in hand.

"Have they done this before?" The man would speak, stepping up beside Robert and the summoner as he looks over the battlefield, "They never did anything like this back in Ylisse."

Curiously the Summoner would glance up for a moment, his finger firmly planted on a page as he eyes over the newcomer, "And you are?"

"Robin. I'm the commander of the Sherpards- the band who entered your town not long ago," He pointed out a cluster of the troops from earlier, "We've fought these things before... But they never did anything like this."

"Yes... Well this is what I was afraid of," The summoner spoke as his eyes reverted back to the tome, his scouring even more frantic than before, "We end these fights as quickly as we can just in case a Dark Esper shows... And it seems we are too late."

---

At this point, anyone paying attention can see a shadowy figure atop the hill overlooking the scene. It's obvious it's presence is effecting the undead in a rather odd way, and it casts an ominous shadow that blankets the shallow valley below. A sense of dread and unease settles over even the most jaded of soldier as the creature lets out another ear splitting shriek.

It seems like we've bitten off more than we can chew at this point. Our summoner couldn't find his teleportation spell, the zombies got some sort of increased strength, and to top it all off, a dark esper decided to show up to this little town. Well, this is horrible... how are we supposed to stop that thing? No... I can't think like that. I can't just give up. I don't know whether this thing is weak to anything or not, and I don't know how resistant it is to magic, and I'm probably better off not knowing, considering how powerful espers tend to be in general but I have to at least TRY. I can't just let this town get invaded because of a single new enemy. I think as this 'Robin' character and the summoner converse about this. I then finally decide to speak, oddly enough, to Robin "So, my gut was right, after all. You strangers HAVE been through this before. You know how to fight these things, and how to fight them in hordes like this," I then ask "What would do you think we should do? I mean, I suppose I could tell you more about the dark esper, but all you really need to know is that they're powerful, and ancient. That being said, they can, and have been defeated in the past," regardless of his response, I decided to try to attack the esper, alternating between fire and thunder spells just to try to see which one would do more, if either. The esper... it won't go down this easily, but I'm sure there's a way we can destroy it.

---

SPD: 10 (5 actions)

Speak and listen to Robin and the summoner (1 action) 11 LCK
Fire spells, alternating between fire and thunder, at the dark esper. (4 actions) 5 SKL, 17 MAG

The blood running down Arus's shoulder felt glacial as he heard a shriek full of menace. He shook off the dark influence looking at the holy blade and feeling invigorated. He once again struck out out with deadly precision against the risen hordes. Panting heavily as he finished another swing he realized it would be unwise to fight further on the front lines. He fell back and took a drink of his vulenary; he felt refreshed as the energy flowed through his body sealing his wounds, for the most part.

---

8 actions

6 actions attacking nearby Risen
1 action retreating
1 action using vulenary

"Great, just great." Thought Jo-Anne as she fought off the newly strengthened Risen."Since when did Risen get such an ally? Well, we're definitely will be overrun here if we stay, we can't retreat, that thing definitely needs to go down, and the moogle's mount's wings don't look big enough to allow flight. What can be done?"

She kept pondering the question as she continued to fight the Risen. She knew that there had to be some way. Then the Taguel/Manakete realized there was, right in her pouch. The Beaststone was deactivated and the Dragonstone was pulled out. Jo-Anne steeled herself for the transformation and activated it. It felt just as she had remembered; the painful feeling of bloatedness as her body got bigger, the sharpness of the scales, the unpleasant feeling of dragon breath in her mouth. Not at all like the smooth warmth that was a Taguel transformation. But dragon-form could definitely carry both of them above the Risen horde and to that creature on the hill.

When the transformation finished, she called to her companions. "Get on. We need to get out of here and this time I can actually carry a fully armed warrior or two, so no excuses from you. You can fill us in on what that creature is, moogle, as we go on our way.

(hr)
Jo-Anne: 10 SPD = 5 actions
Attacks Closest Risen= 3 actions
Deactivates Beaststone= Free action
Activates Dragonstone= 1 action, 49 uses left on Dragonstone, receives a -2 penalty to her speed
Invites Erion and Gabranth to ride back= 1 action (Evanist and Crimson Raven can still have their characters say no)

Erion stared at the esper in a distance, frowning before seeing the girl suddenly changing into a dragon after attacking a risen. He stares at her for a bit, surprised before turning and then striking 3 times with choco beak on one of the risen, the weakest one. He then turn to the dragon, Boco that turned his head to him and making a slight worried "Wark" at him.
"Boco... I know it feels strange... but we need to do this... do you want to get a army of Risen all around us and that they beat us down? I don't think so." he says to his bird who looked at him with a 'Really?' look at him. Erion sighed.
"And you can glide Kupo! You have wings for that. I don't think you have to worry too much about that!" he then says. Boco sighed. Erion looked at Jo-Anne.
"Alright, I am coming!" he says before Boco started to climb up on Jo-Anne, being careful with his claws, going on her back before placing himself. Erion then concentrated, knowing how Boco's claws might hurt her. He then used choco-cure on everything around him, including Jo-Anne to help her with the possible injury.

---

Erion Speed: 13, 6 actions. 12 STR, 9 MAG

Erion strike a zombie 3 times with choco-beak= 3 actions
Erion calms and convince Boco to get on Jo-Anne= 1 action
Erion gets Boco to climb on Jo-Anne= 1 action
Erion uses Choco-cure to cancel the damage that climbing might have done on Jo-Anne= 1 action.

Gabranth was defending the pair as they attempted to coax the nervous bird on the dragon's back. He chuckled slightly at the dragon with a chocobo and a moogle on it's back. Then he wondered at what kind of person could transform into a giant bunny and a dragon. This world is an amazing place sometimes. He thought. He turned to get on the dragon, but he was hampered by the sheer amount of risen. If we don't have some space we won't be able to get off the ground. He realized. He knew what he could do. "I'll clear us a space!" He shouted. Gabranth lifted his dual swords and connected the hilts. They both began to glow with power. "Innocence!" He shouted, disconnecting his weapons and swinging them, causing damage and pushing back all the Risen around him. He moved closer to the dragon and cast protect on her. He swiftly climbed up, despite his heavy armor. "Head back to the town! We can regroup there, with the armies occupying it.

---

Speed stat: 8 | No. turns: 4
Gabranth uses Innocence on surrounding Risen.
Gabranth moves to Joanne.
Gabranth casts protect on Jo-anne
Gabranth climbs Jo-anne.

@Evanist@Crimson Raven@Cyrania

As the Taguel lashed out against the surrounding Risen-



she would see one fall to her terrible assault as the situation around them grew more dire. Reverting to her normal state, she had given herself room to not be set upon by the Risen, pulling out the Dragonstone as he body changed. Her ever expanding body caught a few of the Risen by surprise, knocking them over before her body settled.

At her behest, Erion began striking out the Risen about him-



as he attempts to free himself to ride upon her back with his steed. [LCK test Passed!] Though awkward in his positioning, he is able to mount the manakeet- despite the protest of his mount. The cure goes off to heal his comrade, but his luck saw her unharmed- merely comforting his comrade as it had done before.

As he sees the machinations of his allies forming not far from him, Gabranth separates his blades as he begins send surges of energy flying towards nearby undead-



knocking them away from his allies as he now grabs onto the transformed woman. Casting Protect to shelter her, the Manakeet would turn as she began to retreat back towards the town.



@Eklispe

Feeling his body wracked with pain, this only made the warrior fight more visiously-



seeing a Risen fall to his assault. However, the severity of the situation calls out to him as he steps back, one of the Risen from before striking out at him-



Leaving itself wide open for a savage strike from the Myrmidon as he retreats back to safe distance. As he takes a draw from his Vulenary (1d6 Health restored)-



He would feel his wounds lessen in severity. As his gaze focused on the horde before him, he would notice the manakeet arising from the horde. Once he sees the wayward trio make their way towards town, a familiar shout can be heard over the chaos of battle, "Fall back!" The voice belonged to none other than Holliander, though despite his command, was still rushing towards the Dark Esper. The warriors around Arus all at once would turn to disengage, sprinting back towards the city all around the warrior, as the slower horde rushed forward in an attempt to catch them.

@Lugia

"Yes, we've fought against these creatures in the past. But this is the first time I've seen them enter a frenzy like this," Robin stated, seeming to eye over the battle quite intently. To the untrained, this would seem no more than tunnel vision; but to those who are familiar with strategy and learned warriors, one could see him seeming to take almost every single: breath, swing, block, parry, step, spell, arrow, and word into account. He was obviously looking for a way to win this battle, but nothing could hide his agitated expression, "I'm not sure we can hold against this..."

"We may not have to for much longer!" The summoner shouted, motioning towards the battlefield. If Robert looked, he could see an odd sight of a rather luminous dragon heading towards the walls of the city. Though possibly alarmed at first, he'd see the sight of his friend Erion riding upon the beast, "Perfect!" The summoner shouted, immediately turning to a specific page in the tome. Despite his failure at finding his desired spell earlier, it was almost as if he new the location of this one by heart, "Do you know any fire spells, Robin?"

"Merely a few," Robin remarked jokingly, reaching inside of his robes as he drew an ornately decorated Red Tome from beneath them. Thumbing the book open, Robert couldn't help but notice this item crackling with magic prowess.

"Perfect! Channel the spell, but do not cast it. I will attempt to draw from it to empower my summons," The summoner spoke, closing his eyes as a steady hum eminated from the human. Looking slightly confused, Robin drew his free hand over the open tome. All at once, the air about the trio would crackle with energy and heat, seeming to dry up all the mositure in the air within moments. Though Robert could feel the effects of the intense heat, he felt no harm come from it- merely just the magnitude of it's power.

Seeing the two mages at his side prepare for something massive, the black mage turned as he loosed several spells towards the Dark Esper-



yet nothing seems to draw close. Those his strikes seem on the mark, his spells merely dissipate as they approach his intended target. It's obvious this is no ordinary foe, and Robert can't help but feel the creatures eyes upon him. Just this alone seemed to wrack Robert's body with pain, though not of the body... Rather, Robert felt an assault on his sanity. He couldn't tell how, or why, but all he could think of is the oncoming doom that the Esper would bring. Yet, despite feeling no physical harm, Robert felt like if something didn't change soon- he would meet his end.

Robert is now under the effect of Doom!: 3 Rounds left

As the trio landed back at town gate, Jo-Anne finally grumblingly admitted to herself that her companions probably were right. They probably would not have survived aganist that big creature and have been uselessly killed. "There might have still been a chance for victory, but what do you do when you've been outvoted?" But, the rest of the army had retreated with them, she needed to join them, and it would be a relief to be out of dragonform. So the Taguel deactivated the Dragonstone, readied her Beastone, and waited for what ever came next.
(hr)
Jo-Anne: 10 - 2 SPD = 4 actions
Traveled back to city: 2 actions
Deactivated Dragonstone: 1 action, SPD restored to normal
Wait: 1 action