At the Palace of the Sun [Plot]

[Kender Bard]

Morrigan startled slightly at being lifted into the air, and with one hand she held onto Zira, though was careful not to grab hold of his arm and impede him too much. Higher up, she settled for taking a fistful of his clothing to help steady her. She wasn't going to fall, she knew that, but she still kept feeling like she'd pitch face forward.

From above she surveyed. The forces here seemed somewhat evenly matched, but there were many dead men. She began to pray, her eyes flicking over body to body. They seemed to be normal corpses, not moving or doing much. Only one really made her concerned--a body that was grotesquely swollen and red.

As she prayed, the body steadily ballooned up. "I don't think we're near enough," she told Zira, interrupting herself mid sentence. "That one is doing... Something." She pointed. As soon as she did point, the body burst and a small flood of tiny creatures and gore spilled out. Morrigan felt her stomach rise up in her throat. She clasped a hand over her mouth.

[Darastrix]

Zira closed his eyes and looked away for a moment, hoping that the body was all that the demons had affected. Forces, he was glad Zack and the children were away now. He tightened his grip on his sword and looked back at Morrigan.

"Then I'll take us closer, and you tell me where you need to go," he said, preparing to wind-walk them nearer to the battle.

[Kender Bard]

Morrigan took several shallow breaths until she felt she'd regained control. "Closer," she whispered, then cleared her throat and spoke a bit more normally. "Closer to the dead. Let's stay directly above them, if we can." She was having trouble tearing her eyes away from the situation. The swarm of creatures that had come free of the corpse were climbing the walls or entering through the holes and cracks of the stone to attack the soldiers. By now they were starting to get a grip on the idea that fire, water, and other elements were effective at keeping them off one's self. But a good number of them were slipping by the soldiers entirely, entering the city itself.

She shivered at the sight of that.

[Darastrix]

Zira pressed his lips into a firm line and nodded. "Whenever you think we need to move, tell me. I'll be watching what's happening around us, not the bodies."

He walked them nearer, stopping above the dead as Morrigan wanted, and began turning his head this way and that to make sure that nothing would surprise them with a sudden attack

[Kender Bard]

Morrigan swallowed and stared down. It wasn't that the dead bothered her--far from it--but seeing their desecration... It sickened her. And it was beginning to spark anger within her. How dare these monsters? These were the dead, the province of her lord, and they dare desecrate them?

She focused and began to pray again, noticing another corpse that began to turn steadily green. She focused on that body and put her heart and soul into her prayers.

Something stirred down on the battlefield. It was difficult to see, ethereal and translucent. Like a ghost, almost, but that didn't seem correct. Whatever it was, it brushed through the body that Morrigan focused on and there was a glimmer of something--then it was gone. The corpse began to return to its normal coloration.

"Did you see that?" Morrigan gasped. Er, well, no. Zira said he wouldn't be focusing on the bodies. "Something entered the body and it went back to normal!"

[Darastrix]

"Thank Taed," Zira murmured fervently, glancing down for a moment. "Do we need to move on?"

[Kender Bard]

"I don't know," Morrigan admitted. "I'm not sure if my prayers simply set in motion an event or if they're needed continuously. The only way to know would be to stop and see. Do you think we are needed elsewhere?"

Some of the soldiers cried out as one of the creatures they struggled against suddenly rose up... and up and up and up. The demon, whatever it was, seemed to be growing or--if one looked closely enough--unfolding unbelievably long legs that were covered in barbs. Morrigan gave a squeal of fright and darted behind Zira as the demon began to rise up to their level.

[Darastrix]

I can't fight this! Zira thought, heart clenching with fear. Though he honestly felt more at home on the wind than the ground, he couldn't fly around the demon while keeping Morrigan aloft as well. It'd make things too difficult for him, and put her in danger.

He shifted the winds holding them aloft and kept his eyes on the demon as they were carried back. Holding his sword at the ready in one hand, he touched his Mind sign with the other and lashed out in a mental attack.

---

Summary:
Zira windwalked them backwards from the demon. He's ready to parry a physical attack and is trying to psiblast the demon.

[Kender Bard]

The attack seemed to do minimal damage. There wasn't much of a mind there to attack, though it did pause for a moment, as if startled or in pain.

Fortunately, they weren't fighting alone. A veritable rain of lightning bolts slammed into the creature and it staggered. Its stilt-like legs weren't terribly conductive to good balance and it tipped over, falling on its side... Right over the wall. Other demons scrambled up its body in a mad dash to get over the wall, using its corpse as a siege ladder.

---

Summary:
The psiblast did little damage. Several Storms attacked the creature simultaneously, doing heavy damage and felling it. Its landing on the wall only resulted in one casualty. Demons are now reaching the tops of the ramparts.

[Darastrix]

Zira swore under his breath and called down, using his sign to project and prevent his voice from seeming to come from a particular spot. "Push the body off the wall!" He hoped they had some telekinetics at the wall; he was weak in that area.

"We're safe as we were before," he said over his shoulder to Morrigan.

[Kender Bard]

Morrigan nodded, a bit rapidly, her eyes wide. She clutched to Zira fearfully. "I don't think I can go out to the front lines if it's worse than this," she admitted, her voice soft. Almost a squeak. "I-I suppose we should stay where we are?" She looked down. "Though I don't see any other corpses rises. Maybe we are done? I wish I knew."

Meanwhile, on the ramparts, the soldiers were momentarily overwhelmed. They attempted to get to the carcass to push it off, but that put them near their enemy. It soon was a heated melee, and in the close quarters, the Anarlinans were losing.

Twilight launched forth from where he had held back at the insistence of his men. He'd mostly been lending his support elementally but now he charged forth. His blessed sword had taken on a watery quality. It bypassed any defense to cut deep. He used his mundane sword for defensive maneuvers and, slowly, he was cutting a swath through the destruction. Men began to fall in behind him to guard their king's back. Men were roused, spirits lifted. The heavy corpse was assaulted again and now it was slowly being pushed back.

[Darastrix]

"This is your task; the decision is yours," Zira told her. "I'll guard you for as long as you wish to remain here." He was glad Morrigan hadn't decided to go to the front lines first off (or now); not only did he not like the idea of her being there, he wasn't exactly champing at the bit to get out there, either. And now that Twilight seemed to have helped turn the tide on the wall and was well-guarded by many, he might check back with the palace or look for what demons had gotten past the wall if Morrigan decided to leave.

[Kender Bard]

"Put me down over there," Morrigan finally decided, pointing. "I want to stay in the area in case I'm needed. I have an idea of how close I need to be now. It should be safe, and until I am needed, I'll hide."

[Darastrix]

Zira did as Morrigan bade, wind-walking them down to where she wished to hide. He was fidgety on the ground, feathers ruffling and fingers clenching around the hilt of his sword. He said he would guard her if she stayed, but hanging back and watching like this didn't sit well with him.

"Do you mean for me to leave you here?" he asked, brows furrowed in concern. That didn't sit well with him, either, but it was hard to find choices of comfort in such a situation. And if she needed his protection, Thuoth would tell him.

[Kender Bard]

"I do," she agreed. "You go do what you must." Seized by inspiration, she reached out and pressed a hand firmly against him. "Taed bless you, Chosen. May your sword be sharp, may you fell many of our enemies, cleansing us of their demonic presence. Death be your weapon and may Taed stay his hand from claiming you to his side this day."

She blushed and quickly pulled her hand back. "Sorry. It felt right."