Homestead Survival

<14 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+>
[Theo and Julia]
Theo was getting quite good at kiting. He would run out, use Taunt four or five times to gather up ten or fifteen Goblins. He would then Taunt and sprint his way back to the wall, where Julia would encapsulate himself and the Goblins he had kited back into a layer of temporary Ward runes, and Theo would lay waste to them.

By the time the sun started to set, it was getting difficult to gather more than one or two Goblins.

"I think that might be it for the night," Julia said.

"I don't know, it feels like the Goblins were just wasting our time," Theo said.

Ordus walked up. "Do you want to get some rest, Theo? Julia and I can keep an eye on things."

Theo nodded, realizing how tired he felt. "I will. Wake me if anything happens."

Ordus bowed slightly, and Julia smiled at him as she spoke. "Get some rest, you did most of the work today."

The four hours left in the day were filled with the few remaining goblins running up and attempting to do something to the Ward runes, and then taking damage and running back to the darkness.

<15 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+>
[Julia and Ordus]
As the dark of the night grew deeper, Ordus pointed out beyond the wall. "Julia, look."

As they watched, the Elementals were gathering, as were the Orcs, a couple of the remaining Goblins, and the Storm Giant. One of the Elementals and the Goblins stepped close to the Orcish archers, and a familiar Orc Orchestrator used a skill that flooded white energy over the Goblins, the Elemental, and the archers.

The Elemental and the Goblins begin to use Skills that light up the points of the arrows that the Orcs nock. Ordus grows pale. "Layer as many temporary runes as you can between us and the Orcs!"

Julia, never having heard Ordus carry such a tone before, simply does as he asks. Layering row after row of temporary Ward runes between them and the Orcs. The Storm Giant smiles and steps forward. Julia feels a pulse from a skill that she has not felt the Storm Giant use before, and a swath of the temporary runes vanish.

Something crumbles to dust in the Storm Giant's hands. Julia attempts to relay the layers of Ward runes, and instead of achieving it, she gets a blue box.

"Well fuck." Julia says as a barrage of arrows is loosed. The glowing tips arch ominously through the air and impact the Ward runes that remain and implode.

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A thunderous roar of noise and repeated shockwaves knock several bricks from the wall. Julia screams and dives for cover, followed rapidly by Ordus. They move to get inside the Cabin only to run into a bleary-eyed Theo.

[Theo and Julia]
Theo looks around at the dust settling. "What the hell was that?"

Before Julia can say anything, Ordus speaks up. "That was a collaboration between an Elemental with a lightning aspect named Ban'Da' Zzitz and some other class. Ban'Da' Zzitz is an Electric Bombardier. His whole class is designed around the idea of bombing an opponent. And the Orcish Orchestrator must be allowing the application of his skill to the arrows."

"That is problematic," Theo said.

"More than you know," Ordus said, "With the right combination of skills, they may be able to damage the permanent Wards that you have."

"Well shit," Julia said, looking at the permanent Ward runes that were under the first blast. No damage was visible, but knowing that they could be broken, it rattled her.

"Well then, I guess rest time is over, let's..." Theo started to walk towards the Ward runes when Julia interjected.

"That's not all," She said, "the Storm Giant was able to do something that made a patch of land a 'Null Rune Zone'; it won't let me place Ward runes for ten minutes."

"Okay," Theo said, drawing the word out and thinking. "Well, I guess we need to kill some Orcs."

"You need to kill one Orc." Ordus said, pointing to the Orcish Orchestrator, "Kill him, and the combination of skills will be significantly harder to achieve."

"Alrighty then," Theo said, and was about to turn to leave when another bombardment of arrows took place. The blasts threw several bricks from the walls. "Fuck me that's intense. Alright, Julia, I guess let's try to do what we did yesterday. Ordus, if you could try and patch up the walls as they seem to crumble, that would be appreciated."

Ordus nodded and turned to work. Julia took shelter next to the gap in the wall, and Theo looked out to see what targets he had. After seeing that the other elementals were pulling security, he knew that this would be a slog of a fight, and he rushed out into the fray once more.

[Julia]
Julia watched Theo rush out from behind the protection that the walls offered, almost instantly, several of the elementals converged on him. She activated the active healing on him and watched as he brought them close. As he tried to pull them away, several of them stopped following until only two kept pace with him.

Julia read their names.

{[Corrupted] Ban'Xe' Flarra, Level 09, A}
{[Corrupted] Ban'Da' Gorvo, Level 07, A-}

Julia recognized the female looking level nine as one of the elementals that had been tormenting Ordus. When they were finally near enough. Julia encased Theo and the two elementals into a ring of Ward runes.

[Theo]
As the Ward runes closed around them, Theo felt a skill pulse from the lower-level Elemental. The one that looked distinctively female used a skill that felt like it was trying to force him to feel a certain way, and the Ring of Eternal Mourning pulsed, washing away the skill.

Ban'Xe' Flarra looked quite miffed at that. Then suddenly, the skill that Ban'Da' Gorvo had been using pulsed again and activated. Everything felt heavy. Even the female Elemental seemed to slow. The only one unaffected was Gorvo, who rushed at Theo.

Theo tried to raise his axe and found himself unable to. So he dropped it. And pulled out his Master Tool, having it take the shape of a feather duster. Even so, it weighed more than it should have. Gorvo was approaching, and Theo was having more and more difficulty breathing and standing as he got closer.

Theo realized that Gravity was increasing as Gorvo got closer, so he shifted his Master Tool once more into a small lockpick, and then he moved as quickly as he could to the Elemental.

Theo managed to tackle Gorvo. And he felt like he was being crushed to death. Every breath was a struggle and every movement a battle. Out of the corner of his eye, Theo saw a lone Goblin rushing towards the Cabin. He wanted to cry out to warn them, but he could hardly catch his breath as he forced himself up to where he was straddling the Elemental.

The Elemental smiled and said something that Theo was sure was a smart ass comment. Theo fought for breath and used both arms to raise the lockpick that was growing heavier. Then he smiled and forced out five words. "I call this the Acme."

Then he had the Master Tool take the shape of an anvil. The elemental trapped under Theo's increased weight screamed and then died as the fifty-pound block of steel crushed his skull flat.

Theo took a breath and looked back in time to see Julia rushing at a Goblin, and an arrow flying through the air towards her.