(January 315 A.L.) - Shadowed Sandstorm

[alchahest]

Elka takes a shot at the last remaining Pyre Demon

(more to follow)

[Selway]

The old man knew he'd have to take a calculated guess of where to direct his efforts. Fortunately demons and such generally just rushed ahead mindlessly from his experience, hopefully this lot wouldn't get creative.

Actions: Theodore casts Ifrit centered on the square SW of M2

[hokage26]

"Rock on, guys!"

(( If P3 is alive, move and stab it from the lowest evade side possible. If P3 is dead or out of range, War Chant))

[Dong Yan]

Jude groaned at the rallying cry though he reckoned it was no worse then his own propaganda at home. At least they had got a fair few dead, with any luck they would soon break through this demon ambush.

Actions: Cast Leviathan to hit as many enemies as possible, then move SW,SW

[Stearns]

Move SE and shoot Sacred

[Xiong Su]

(Strike against Phoenixx)

Elka just cuts to the chase and fires. She hits, the last pyre demon dies. [Pyre Wretch -56 HP! Dead!] Nick stays where he is and begins casting. Magnus moves and shoots. [Sacred -64 HP!] Abigail stands there and watches. Jude begins to summon, then retreats. Nick casts! [Fire! Mar Demons 1 and 2 -120 HP!] Sacred continues on its path southwards. Theodore begins a summoning. Celawyn clears his throat. Mar Demon 1 chases down Theodore. It his him while he is preparing to cast! [Ram! Theodore -88 HP!] Mar Demon 2 moves and rams poor Magnus. [Ram! Magnus -70 HP!]

Spells are unleaches! Theodore is first up; the demon of fire appears and blasts the more corporeal demons with a fire the humans are lucky enough not to feel. [Ifrit! Mar Demons 1 and 2 -93 HP! Sacred -58 HP!] Next is Celawyn! [War Chant! Elka +5 Brave! Duration refreshed on Celawyn!] Finally, Jude! [Leviathan! Sacred -150 HP!]



Abigail: 196/196 HP - 196/260 MP - Brave +5, Shell (2)
Celawyn: 209/209 HP - 150/150 MP - Shell (2), Brave +5 (3)
Elka: 194/281 HP - 70/70 MP - Brave +5 (3)
Jude: 195/195 HP - 182/342 MP - Shell (2), Auto-Float
Magnus: 290/360 HP - 141/161 MP
Nick: 150/211 HP - 200/252 MP - Brave +5 (2)
Theodore: 125/292 HP - 270/333 MP - Brave +5, Shell (2)

Mar Demon 1: 67/280 HP - 14/14 MP
Mar Demon 2: 67/280 HP - 14/14 MP
Sacred: 51/323 HP - 15/15 MP

CTs
Elka: 198
Nick: 201
Magnus: 201
Abigail: 207
Jude: 207
Sacred: 210
Theodore: 210
Celawyn: 216
Mar Demons: 216

[HuwJones]

"Foolish demons, in attacking us, your fate is sealed! Burn!" Nick called forth another gout of flame to consume their enemies, even as he does so looking around for how the rest of Zeklaus is faring in it's battle. "Stay calm everyone, there may be more for us to do yet!"

Elka : Shoot the cow.
Nick : Cast Fire to hit all three demons.
Magnus : Move S,SW,SW and Preach someone you like (or yourself)
Abigail : Move SE and cast Cure on Nick
Jude : Stay still for the moment, conserve MP. Or Ifrit the enemies if you want to be extremely sure of victory this turn.
Theodore : Cast Moogle or Fairy on Nick to get some of our HP back, as you've a ton of MP left.
Celawyn : Move SE,SE and warchant more.
Everyone : Rejoice in kicking ass.

[alchahest]

Elka quietly picks her next target, and sends an arrow towards the Sacred without a word.

Shoot Sacred with a normal shot!

[Selway]

Seeing that they were nearly through with this lot the old man had a tinge of nostalgia and decided to call upon an old friend who seldom saw use these days.

Actions: Theodore casts Moogle centered on Nick.

[hokage26]

Celawyn prepared his song once again in the tune of "Die Monsters, Die!"

((Move SE,SE and Warchant more.))

[Dong Yan]

Jude was starting to feel drained again and he was grateful for the opportunity to save his magic for the next round of fighting.

Actions: Grab a drink and lounge about.

[Stearns]

S, SW, SW, Preach.....eh, T.

[Xiong Su]

(Strike two against Phoenixx. One more and you'll... uh. Nevermind.)

Elka shoots! She hits! It's down! [Sacred -56 HP! Dead!] Nick begins casting. Magnus moves around and preaches at Theodore. Some sand is blown into his mouth. [Preach failed!] Nick casts! [Fire! Mar Demons 1 and 2 -120 HP! Both dead!]

Victory!

It seemed that the human force had broken the back of the demon strike. The sands of Zeklaus were littered with bodies, demonic for the most part though there were some human fallen as well. In the centre of town lay the corpse of a certain portal guardian, felled with less effort than those it commanded. The very few remaining demons seemed to be fleeing, though this consisted mostly of Mar Demons as neither the Pyre Wretches nor the Sacred were fast enough to escape the blades and spells of the town's defenders.

It was over. They had won, but... precisely what had gone on here? None in town could say, as they began burying the dead and repairing the burned houses and stores. Any who might explain were dead, and nobody in town from the troops down had any explanations to volunteer, save sheer foolishness or desperation. Munarde was all too happy to come into town with large sacks of money for the seven heroes, and a smug grin for those who had disbelieved him. The portal guardian, he noted, was most likely the one he had seen in the days before the attack...

But... why?

Proposition Complete!

Nick gains 225 XP, 630 JP and 4253 Gil!
Elka gains 203 XP, 567 JP and 4253 Gil!
Theodore gains 158 XP, 520 JP and 5771 Gil!
Jude gains 158 XP, 536 JP and 6075 Gil!
Magnus gains 203 XP, 587 JP and 4556 Gil!
Celawyn gains 158 XP, 504 JP and 5468 Gil!
Abigail gains 203 XP, 547 JP and 3949 Gil!

[HuwJones]

Once the battle was over, and the immediate concerns afterwards dealt with, Nick Snow walked to the fallen Portal Guardian, and rested the tip of his staff on it's still chest. Pulling his hood back to bare his head and his white hair and beard he took a deep breath before proceeding to orate in loud booming tones.

"ZEKLAUS! CITIZENS AND VISITORS! WARRIORS AND FARMERS! I THANK YOU ALL! We were not prepared for this battle. Our foes were many, and strong. But we have PREVAILED. Here, today, mankind has won against the demons. Because we did not fear to fight. Because we worked together. Because we had faith, in God and each other that we were not alone. And for this, I thank you all."

Reaching for his victorian symbol hanging at his neck, Nick continued. "Each one of you that has lifted blade, or magic, or bucket against this threat, I am proud to have stood beside you. Each one of you that offers bandage, or food, or shelter to their neighbour, I am proud to have stood between you and danger. It is your efforts, that make me know my work is worthwhile. Our victory is due to teamwork. Due to trust. And I hope that is something you will all take with you. Wether you lead people against evil, or follow with strong will and faith, I hope that you will continue to be part of something larger. Something greater. God bless each and every one of you."

[Xiong Su]

People cheered, and many a soul gained a story to tell their children and grandchildren by firelight in nights to come for many years. Assuming, of course, they didn't all die horribly in the next few months. Always a risk.

That was that.